Naruto: Arcane Heart
by Nitramy
Summary: When two universes collide... shattered lives begin to mend. Second chances are given. First few chapters under renovation. THIS IS NOT A HAREM OR A BASHING FIC
1. Body and Soul

_disclaimer:_ none of this is mine.

This is part 1 of the (rather extensive) rewrite of Naruto: Arcane Heart, where after several revisions, expansions and streamlining to the story structure, I hope that it turns out to be much better than the previous version (if you must know, I was able to get to around Chapter 15 without outlining).

So here we go, and again, if you have anything to offer that I can use to improve this story, my door is always open.

Just be careful with how you approach... really.

This story came to me when I heard "Eternal Blaze" and "Haruka Kanata" one after the other on my computer: gradually, the pieces of the main storyline gradually fell into place, all revolving around two questions: The first would be what would happen if Uzumaki Naruto had a family to guide him through the Ninja Academy and beyond.

You will know what the second question I asked myself was when you finish reading this chapter.

By the way, this first chapter will make a lot more sense if you've watched through the first season of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha. (Consider the details revealed in the movie, the series manga AND the movie manga to be part of this story as well - but I will be revealing just how well they fit into the narrative gradually.)

All right, I've taken up enough of your time - here we go.

* * *

_Everything felt like it happened a lifetime ago. What I wanted was my family. What I received was a second chance._

_And though I might not deserve it, I am obliged to do what I must; for something like this can be easily called Divine Intervention._

_Naruto: Arcane Heart will now begin._

_

* * *

_

_**Naruto: Arcane Heart**_

**Chapter One - Body and Soul**

**

* * *

**

_"I am here of my own volition."_

_"What would a failure like you want to come here for? ...to gloat in your victory, perhaps?"_

_"No... I chose to come here. To ask you again... because you are my Mother."_

_"...you are no daughter of mine."_

_And as I fall away into the distorted space, together with my daughter Alicia, something she told me so very long ago comes back._

_"Maybe someday I'll get to have a sister."_

_I look back up towards her... and that girl in white, trying to remember more, but it is too late._

_Alicia and I..._

_...we fall._

* * *

That dream again.

I ease myself from bed and get ready for today, looking through the pantry for something to make breakfast with.

I end up laughing at myself - never one for domestic activities, usually leaving that kind of work to Linith or...

...I sigh.

Never too late to learn something new, that was what my grandmother said.

"I'm late, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" a voice cries out from the other room, and a yellow flash heads to the bathroom.

I smile... maybe I should get to preparing myself once my daughter leaves for school.

* * *

_"Youth is not a time of life. It is a state of mind."_

The quote goes through my mind as I finish drying myself off, and I take the moment to look at my reflection in the mirror.

I... wait a moment.

My reflection seems odd, and I gasp as I put a hand on my face.

I don't feel the lines along my eyes anymore; and not only do I look younger, I feel younger - like I could very well pass for thirty when my age was over fifty.

The years seem to be gone from my body as I resume examining myself carefully... but the years in my mind... my heart, my soul?

Those will fade with time - but never vanish outright.

Especially the events leading up to twenty-six days ago.

I'll not spend time pondering these things. Today is a very important day; too important for abandoned possibilities and conjecture to distract me.

The rest of my ablutions finish without a thought on that.

* * *

Today's last-minute preparations are over.

The house has been cleaned, the new clothes put away, even the stuffed animals my daughter uses as both toys and pillows as she sleeps - all of them are in their proper places.

Proper places... I find myself thinking of the phrase.

Has it really been twenty-six days since then?

Thankfully, the only extravagance I entertained was readily available - and I spend some time going over my looks in the full-length mirror.

My hair - which had grown down to my knees upon my arrival here - had been cut to a more manageable length, just slightly beyond my shoulders. I have to suppress a grin as I turn my head and see my hair in a ponytail, the tail itself is shaped into a bun and held in place by a few metal needles and a small swatch of mesh armor re-purposed as a net. Given where I'm at, these people might yank at my ponytail - a painful and distracting experience that my tutors said could cost me my life.

I would've said that I was already dead inside, only being held together by the hope that I would one day... but that was not what came out of my mouth then, only a nod of understanding.

So this is what hiding in plain sight means... too bad I'm not under the illusion that it will remain the same for long, as tomorrow, I shall be subject to a psychiatric appraisal - a prerequisite to further become a part of this place, these people.

I do a small pirouette in front of the mirror, admiring my outfit. It's what these people usually wear to work - a set of sport underwear under a wire mesh shirt and a sensible blouse over all that, a heavy denim for my jacket, a flowing purple miniskirt under compression shorts...

...and the sandals.

While they look a little too unwieldy, they handle the strain I put them through exceptionally well - I was never one for looks, more for utility - and my outfit shows off both in spades.

Well, I do consider looking decent a necessary extra that comes along with wearing something useful, so there.

I place my equipment in their pouches: triangular metallic knives with rings at the edge of the hilt, pointed pinwheel stars, more metal needles...

...and I slip on the necklace with the red pendant, in shape of a sword.

_**"Good morning, ma'am."**_

_"Good morning, Hrist. Let's do our best today."_

_**"Affirmative."**_

Yet, even through my enthusiasm, that girl's face passes through my mind, and I am filled with gloom as I head out the door of our rented apartment, lock the door behind me, and make my way to Training Ground #19...

* * *

There are three people before me.

The nice old man who gave my daughter and I room and board here when we had next to nothing - apparently, he and I run along the same line of thought.

Originally, he had planned on asking me to take on a more sedate role, but after bringing one of his employees to look over me with those strange gray eyes as part of me and my daughter's physical checkup, he found out both of us had physiologically qualified for their line of work.

Odd.

But I let that thought slip from my mind, as the first test was upon me - the first of three arts I had been taking a crash course in for the past two weeks - Ninjutsu.

The first one steps up - his stance seems slack, but his one uncovered eye is ever wary. He puts an orange book he was reading not moments before in his pocket, brings out one of those triangular knives they call kunai, gets into a stance...

...and moves in.

_Fast... but he's going to try and attack from multiple angles, most likely. This is just a test; try to remember your mnemonics._

The ground cracks below me, and faster than I react to a spilled vial of acid, I tumble to the side.

_Those hand seals were for this technique. Hmm._

I remember my pendant glowing as soon as I began talking and reading in this place... Hrist seemed to know the language, which was fortunate for both me and my daughter. It was only the basic structure and words that were directly placed in our minds thanks to Hrist, but it was enough.

_No time for that, _I tell myself as I bend sharply at the waist to avoid that electricity-laced palm heading towards me. _Raiton: Sutekki Hajji. A D-Rank lightning elemental ninjutsu._

Thank goodness I had always been eager to analyze anything I ran across; this technique was no exception.

The crackling hand passed by me, sending the familiar scent of ozone wafting across my nostrils.

_He's not manipulating the polarity of the jutsu. Just using its elemental properties. Strange._

I go into hand seals of my own, content that with my two weeks of limited training, I would be able to at least do this.

_Visualize the field of containment, expel a mix of physical and spiritual energies out. Endow mix with static power._

I feel a familiar buzz through me, as if the technique I was going to use and the arts that I have known nearly all my life had some sort of common thread.

_Here we go._

"Raiton: Suteki Hajji!" I declare, my right hand awash with the crackling yellow that was my lightning-element chakra as I thrust it forward in one motion as I recover from my bend. The one-eyed ninja meets my palm thrust with his own...

...and gets pushed back several feet.

His eye widens in momentary surprise before he returns to his usual pose.

"Of all the times I've met a lightning user in combat, I've never seen that happen," he says nonchalantly.

_Well, what they don't know is that Hrist has been relaying me their conversation._

_"How did she do that?"_

_"That was... an unexpected outcome."_

The old man breaks the silence.

"What happened?" he asked.

I smile. "Used the same polarity as his technique did. Like charges repel."

The four ninja gathered nodded as they understood immediately what I meant; but the signs they were giving each other confused me.

"She would make a more valuable ally now; to be able to understand and implement advanced principles on Raiton-based ninjutsu on the fly..."

"Nevertheless, we still have to appraise her on the two other arts. Kurenai; Guy; get ready."

"Yes, sir."

I go into another stance. _What will come next? Whatever it is, I'm going to get through it - I'm not doing this just for myself._

But as the woman steps toward me with barely a nod, the last message Hrist intercepted left me a little frightened.

_"Kurenai, do __**not**__ use the Hell Viewing Technique."_

_

* * *

_

My teeth chattered.

I was in the middle of a roaring blizzard.

And then I breathed out.

I was stranded on a blistering desert.

Night came.

There I was, in a forest, hearing the crickets chirp and the shadows playing tricks on my eyes...

But Hrist was still here.

Her voice was still clear to my mind's ear, and she was giving me a warning, that this wasn't real, that this was just an illusion somehow generated by that bandage-wearing woman, and that...

_**"Incoming... from your six!"**_

I charge forward, and all of a sudden, the spell is broken and I am in the training ground again.

I look back as the tree that was supposed to have grabbed me with its limbs vanished, a few leaves floating towards the ground the only trace that it was ever there.

At least I didn't end up caught in what they call a genjutsu; that's what I'd call a decent enough victory... I thought, right until she appeared before me in a swirl of leaves and pointed a kunai at my neck.

Oh well... you can't win them all, can you?

"You actually managed to ward off a significant number of my illusions," the woman said.

"That's not true," I say, admitting my own shortcuts in the face of such brutal honesty. "I cheated."

"Still, this shows I'm still a long way from the mastery of my art. The name is Yuuhi Kurenai," she says, her expression softening as she withdraws the knife on one hand and offers me up with the other.

I smile weakly as I accept her offer. That dispelling technique of mine needs work.

Two down, one to go.

* * *

I get up slowly, gingerly.

Even if Hrist managed to summon part of my Barrier Jacket at the last moment to prevent grave injury, that kick still hurt.

She was still trying to make sure I wouldn't end up with cracked ribs - or worse - by the time I stood up.

The man with the green bodysuit, eerie smile and even eerier eyebrows beckoned to me in that strange combat stance.

Only a minute had passed by since I was given a chance to prove myself in what they called taijutsu - hand-to-hand combat - and I did not put up as well a fight as I hoped I did. Of course, you can only go so far with only basic manuals and movements as a guide.

Well, throw all that out the window.

The thought that I was in a ninja village returned to me.

And ninja, well... by what little I read from the world I came from - ninja don't fight fair, do they?

I grip the pendant that is Hrist, close my eyes briefly, and whisper to her.

_"Hrist, let's do this. As soon as I make for him... Knight Sword mode; Barrier Jacket, Drakan Mode."_

_**"Affirmative, ma'am."**_

A brilliant red runic circle comes to life at my feet, and I feel my Linker Core being harnessed to power my Intelligent Device, my outfit shifting and transforming into the Drakan Module of my Device's Barrier Jacket. The sight dazzles the three observers and maybe others, and my green-clad opponent seems to be shaking in anticipation of this newest development.

Before anyone can react, I dash in, activated Device in hand, and take a swing at my designated opponent.

He blocks it and throws a spin kick my way, which I dodge, throwing three quick thrusts in return.

Backpedal, then swing with two hands downward.

I throw my own kick, he dodges; he attacks, I retaliate.

This exchange of attack, defense and counterattack goes on for just over five minutes until I hear the old man's voice cry out.

"Match!"

His stance flows easily from combat to ceremony, and bows deeply to me... I cannot help but answer with my own bow.

"Hokage-sama was right. You have indeed the potential to be a youthful member of our ranks," he declared, "with enough training."

"Still - there will be the chance that your duties as parent and ninja conflict, what with your daughter taking the Academy entrance test at the same time you have," the old man known as the Hokage added. "Your potential is simply too great to be ignored, though, so I have a solution that will have all of us satisfied."

* * *

As the old Hokage relays the details of the plan to me and the three observers, I have to admire his genius. A desk job means that I can train in the ninja arts on my off time, earn my keep and have enough of my schedule left to tend to my family.

I return home sometime after lunch weary, but satisfied - still, there's my explanation of Hrist and the psych evaluation to come - but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Throughout the afternoon, washing the new clothes takes extra effort because of my taijutsu appraisal - that Might Guy hits hard.

And then, the clock strikes four-fifteen, the door to my apartment opens... and in runs the reason I'm actually putting nearly all my eggs in the basket known as the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

"I'm home, mother."

I smile at the face that fills me both with untold joy and self-loathing.

"Welcome home, Alicia."

* * *

The worst dream ever is the dream of falling.

And they say that it is never the death that is the agony; only the dying.

It is with these thoughts that I open my eyes to see white ceiling tiles.

The memories return.

_You... you're not Alicia._

I remember the grass.

_But you are my daughter as well..._

The coughing.

_It is too late..._

The broken glass.

_Fate..._

Alicia.

It's over.

I've failed.

She's gone... she's dead.

The tears come, but they stop just as quickly when people appear before me.

"Where am I?"

"Konoha General Hospital," the old man in white tells me in a kindly voice. He seems friendly, but carries himself like a Bureau admiral. But Konoha... the word is strange; I've never heard of it - come to think of it, how was I able to understand the old man?

I quickly look to my left and see the small pendant that was my other Device.

Figures.

"Konoha?" I ask.

One of the old man's escorts responds to my question. "Konohagakure - the Village Hidden in the Leaves. We'd like a few answers from you."

This was new. "What kind of answers?"

"Such as your identity, for instance," the second escort answers. The way these people carry themselves remind me of Bureau enforcers. Come to think of it, was I captured by the Bureau? Only part of the Bureau would find a way to appeal to mine and their interests... but until I'm absolutely sure of where these people stand, I'll speak truthfully for the meantime.

"My name.. is Precia Testarossa. Where is my daughter?"

That's new. The old man (who I think is a high-ranking civilian or military officer here) and their escorts seem as confused as I am upon hearing my name. So... I really am in a different world... which means I need to find...

The confusion in the old man's eyes vanished quickly upon my question, replaced with something reassuring.

"You have nothing to worry about," he said, "she's on the bed next to you."

I disregard everyone and everything and turn my head to the side. There, on the bed, lay my daughter, my darling, the only good thing I have left in this world...

...Alicia.

One moment, I am on my bed, the next, I am at her side. I saw the escorts get into some sort of stances as I move with alarming speed towards my daughter, but the old man has them stand down.

**Please** let it be true.

I put a hand on my little angel's chest and...

...Her heart beats.

Her chest rises and falls.

Could it be...?

Yes... yes it could.

I promise to pay back whatever God there is who managed to give even a scoundrel like me a miracle like this.

Tears fall, and I do not care. I sob out my thanks to whoever managed this miracle and call on my daughter's name.

After all my tears of joy and relief had been shed and I was given a glass of water, I returned to my own bed and my usual composure.

"Feeling better?" the old man asked me.

I nodded in reply. "Thank you for this. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Well," the old man who had the title of Hokage said, smiling, "I can arrange for you and your daughter to have a little chat with me after you're done with your recovery. Consider it a little interview and a way to show your gratitude – after all, there is still so little we know about each other."

"Of course, sir..." I answer, my voice softening to a point I never knew was there - not since Alicia died. There was really no reason to continue on the path I was on, because Alicia is alive. How and why, I don't know - that would be something to figure out for next time - along with where we were and many other details.

For the first time in a very long while, there was hope in my heart... hope for a new beginning.

* * *

Chapter One - **END**

**author notes: **The first chapter - as you know - is in Precia's POV. The reason this is so is because a first-person narrative would be of more help in showing what a mind being put back together would write like.

Also, the Raiton jutsu used here is the same as the one in Team 8, but with a different name.

Do leave some feedback on if the rewrite is better... I plan on finishing the rewrite before resuming Twin Fates, but who knows!


	2. Hearts and Minds

_disclaimer:_ you know it.

_a small foreword: _This chapter's events are not arranged in precise chronological order. By the time you read through the last sentence though, you should have put it in sequence - it's not that difficult.

So here's Chapter 2.

* * *

_Eight years ago, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox tore through Konoha in a rampage. It took the life of the village's greatest hero, the Fourth Hokage, to defeat the monster._

_But though he defeated it, he could not destroy it._

_And so, he ended up sealing the most powerful of the Tailed Beasts within a baby boy..._

* * *

_**Naruto: Arcane Heart**_

**Chapter Two: Hearts and Minds**

**

* * *

**

Today was shaping up to be a very bad day for one Yamanaka Inoichi.

First of all, the Konohagakure Ninja Academy guidance counselors had written in their "final" report that their prized student Uchiha Sasuke - after extensive sessions - still hadn't snapped out of the post-massacre funk and the mind-destroying technique the perpetrator inflicted on him.

It was double, no, triple the trauma because said perpetrator was his older brother Itachi, who said that he did it because he could.

Inoichi groaned. _This is exactly what's wrong with having a reputation - you become everyone's contingency measure in case of gross incompetence. _He read through the session logs, and had to resist the urge to palm his face when the Academy shrinks used Uchiha Sasuke as their guinea pig for various new counseling techniques they had picked up from a Sea Country seminar.

And not once did they ever suggest to the boy that maybe, just maybe, there was more to what happened that meets the eye? That he should put aside his feelings and be introspective and objective about the whole thing? You know, look **underneath the freaking underneath**? This was a freaking ninja village, of all places!

He was midway through writing a scathing recommendation to the Sandaime Hokage that someone more qualified should take care of putting the pieces of Uchiha Sasuke's shattered mind back together when there was a knock on his door.

As usual, the doorway through his unopened flower shop was empty. There was nothing a scroll neatly placed on the carpet outside his house; a leaf hitting the dirt enough proof for Inoichi to know that this was - again - ninja-related business.

Contrary to popular belief (as popular belief goes in the shinobi community), Yamanaka Inoichi's reputation of breaking, entering and taking vital information from people's minds like one would candy from a baby was just that - his reputation. That was just the "game face" he and the village of Konoha put on, sort of like Hatake Kakashi copying over a thousand jutsu (the actual number was closer to seven hundred).

It helped greatly during his tenure as head of ANBU's T&I squad before passing on the job to his successor Morino Ibiki, who preferred a more... hands-on approach to things.

But that was yet another one of the "game face" things Konoha had going on.

Yamanaka Inoichi put his Ph.D in clinical and applied psychology to very, very good use by the time he had finished both his dissertation and the mission requirements for him to get promoted to jonin.

He sighed as he picked up the scroll and read it.

_1200h Hokage Tower_

"How troublesome," he muttered, echoing his friend Nara Shikaku's favorite word before going back in the house and readying himself for another exercise of his skill when all he wanted was to tend to his family's flower shop and maybe give little Ino a head start in her Academy education...

* * *

_Breathe in, breathe out._

_Open your eyes._

Still nothing.

_Keep calm._

Her eyes were open, but she could see nothing.

Just blackness.

_A waiting room, they said? More like a holding cell, if you ask me._

The woman continued to breathe in and out slowly.

_I may be rather uncomfortable in this state, but based on what they saw, I have every right to be here._

_That man managed to breach even the psychic defenses Hrist gives me, and looked through my memories, actions, and knowledge as if I was an open book._

_It wouldn't be too much of a stretch for him to give the Hokage everything._

_Still... three weeks with Alicia... it's more than enough time for me, I'm all right..._

The name brought a pang of horror to her.

_I've got to somehow make it out of here. Who knows what they'll do to Alicia..._

And in the darkness of the holding cell somewhere in the Hokage Tower, Precia Testarossa began preparing herself for what she needed to do in order to stay, and steeled herself for the worst-case scenario.

* * *

"I will have to object to this, Hokage-sama. That woman is a bona fide security risk," Inoichi said to the Third Hokage just as he handed in the report and recommendation.

"Your objection has been duly noted. Still, we must hear her side of the story," the old man answered. "You do know that we would be no better than Kumo or Iwa if we do not give sanctuary here to those who seek it. Besides, better us than them."

"Still, Hokage-sama, someone with such power - I read the abstract of yesterday's appraisal. Someone with little to no knowledge of ninjutsu performing a variation of a D-Rank lightning elemental jutsu?"

"If what your report says is true, her daughter has likely inherited such ability."

"A bloodline limit?"

"Only time will be the judge of that. What we need to do now is give Miss Testarossa a chance."

Inoichi's eyebrows knitted as he looked at the Hokage's expression suddenly turning inscrutable.

"...is there something in those reports that have given you a way to do that?"

The Hokage nodded.

"That's right. Suffice it to say that this will be a very worthwhile investment... but as they say, even the safest of investments carries its own risks."

"I hope this investment will pay off in the future, Hokage-sama. By your leave."

"While you do, please see to it that the ANBU bring Precia Testarossa here."

"Yes, sir."

As soon as the former head of ANBU T&I left, Sarutobi Hiruzen - the Third Hokage - could not help himself from letting out a chuckle.

"...As you are heading home, Inoichi... this investment is already paying off," he said with an enigmatic smile on his face.

* * *

He turned towards the view of Konoha and picked up his pipe once more.

"Please, be seated. And before we begin, I would like to apologize on behalf of my shinobi for the sudden... intrusion."

_An apology? Why?_

"It is of no consequence, Hokage-sama, the time spent in the waiting room included," Precia answered, not really surprised as she saw the old shinobi successfully hide a flinch. "Though I am sure by now, even with my abilities you would not consider me very good shinobi material."

"Still," the Third Hokage said, "what I've received about your recent history paints a very bleak picture about your personality. Would you care to elaborate on that?"

_Okay, do what you promised, Precia. Think this one through. You're not going to get to Alicia if you're running on emotions. Think._

"I am a fugitive," she began. _He knows that much. Good - that means I can disclose enough information about what they saw in my head._

The Hokage let out a relieved breath before replying.

"For everyone's sake, I'm going to be straightforward with you: that much, we already know. We also know that you're into some sort of research, and repeatedly hurt one of your daughters."

"Fate is..." Precia said, but cut herself short. "Yes, she is my younger daughter... and she... I hurt her, because she was... not Alicia."

"And the reason you were a fugitive was?"

"...find a way to cure Alicia's sickness, she was on the brink of death, and I managed to suspend it while I tried to research a cure..."

"Very well," the Hokage answered, aware of the many implications of Precia's words. "Are you sure that whatever authority trying to find you knows that you are already dead?"

"Yes."

"And your other activities?"

Precia shook her head. "They're not my primary concern anymore. All I want is to look after my daughter."

"Hmm," the Hokage said. "Be that as it may, I will have to make plans on what to do when the improbable happens that whoever is after you finds you here... or is that one of the reasons why despite your misgivings, you allowed your daughter to attend the Ninja Academy?"

"I haven't thought that far ahead, Hokage-sama," she answered. "I still want to look after her... but I want her to be able to stand on her own when the time comes."

"An admirable aim," he said appraisingly, taking another puff from his pipe. "All right then, here's how it will be: Konoha will negotiate on your behalf should this happen, and we'll try to work out a solution best for both parties. Is that good enough for you?"

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Precia said. "That's more than enough for me and Alicia."

"You do know that when much is given, much is asked for in exchange, right?" the Hokage asked. "The only part of your story I know is what you - and my ninja - have told me so far."

Precia let out a slow breath as the Hokage finished his statement. "Do complete the story for me, that I may know what else to be prepared for, and then some."

_This is going to be a long day._

_

* * *

_

"Hi, what's your name?"

"My name is Alicia."

"Your name sounds strange."

"I came from somewhere far away with my mother."

"And you wanted to become a ninja?"

"Not really, but Mother said I would be here for one semester and another at civilian school. I'll be placed in where I do better."

It had been close to a week since the next term of the Konoha Ninja Academy began, and a certain Alicia Testarossa was still seen as some sort of anomaly by the children studying there.

To take a distant view from this place and into the life and times of the person made to replace her - a certain Fate - it was easy to see that Alicia was, indeed, a very precocious little girl.

Precocious enough that her mother didn't notice that her biological age had been given a slight bump - Alicia still carried herself with the same joyous bearing that melted her mother's heart easily, and upon learning what the "Will of Fire" Konoha was famous for was... ...quickly jumped at the idea of being a ninja.

_Why not? _Precia had asked herself then. Why not, indeed, as she herself knew that the Hokage would want both mother and daughter among his ranks - the medical team's analysis said that they both possessed immense potential.

Their oddly-developed chakra coils was one of the reasons that Precia made great leaps in learning the basics despite knowing next to nothing a few days before - it was not a bad guess to say that Alicia would do the same.

When the Hokage found out that it was a desire to see her daughter well and whole again that brought this whole mess around, he didn't exactly sympathize with her, but he understood.

Back at the Academy, Alicia now had her eyes on a boy around her age standing in the far corner of the playground, looking at them forlornly with his blue eyes...

...and she walked over to him with that smile on her face.

* * *

It was close to four in the afternoon when Precia Testarossa finally emerged from the Hokage tower, a bit frazzled in places but ultimately relieved that yes, the Village Hidden in the Leaves would provide sanctuary for her and Alicia.

And yes, like everything else in the world, it too had a rather harsh price - the Hokage put her on a schedule that left her next to no free time, and the first two years of her stay here would be under an ANBU guard, to say nothing of the bi-weekly sessions with Konoha's resident psychiatrist.

A comprehensive list of all the legal loopholes she went through for her research in saving Alicia was also made part of the Hokage's knowledge base - apparently, a ninja clan here was adept in extracting information from people's minds so much that even Hrist's mental shields never stood a chance - so most of her stay in the Tower was putting that mass of information pulled from her head together into a coherent whole.

The Hokage even put the psychiatric sessions on the Village's tab after giving her the provisional rank of chunin AND a job at the Hokage tower as one of the Third's secretaries.

With a large part of her burden out of the way, Precia now took to more intimate things to deal with: Alicia's desire to be a ninja.

She had been so close to losing her once, and she knew she had to work on that.

Precia made a mental note to herself to start growing up again.

_It's never too late to learn something new._

_

* * *

_

Before, he wanted recognition - he wanted attention.

Now, though, he wanted something else.

He wanted to see that the first deed he'd done was well and truly good.

And as he saw the girl with blonde hair and red eyes walk toward him, Uzumaki Naruto knew that he made the right decision.

He smiled back at her.

And now, as dusk fell in his apartment, his stomach still warm from the several bowls of ramen he had as an early dinner... Uzumaki Naruto did as his strange benefactor asked him to do.

He sat on his bed in the lotus position and began to meditate.

_Find your way to the meadow._

Within minutes, he had returned to the long stretch of grass, the blue sky, the distant mountains, the town, and the forest that was the breadth of his mindscape.

For two years, he thought that his meadow was just a small place to be, a small refuge from the sullen stares, the ignorance, and even when the townsfolk drove him away from their stores.

He didn't even know that he was meditating until some time into the Academy, when everyone was taking their first steps to unlocking their chakra through meditation.

It was two years and a few months ago, on his sixth birthday, that some chunin, emboldened by a mix of wounded machismo, adrenaline, and the kick of alcohol decided to run him down an alley and, in their words, "finish the job Yondaime-sama started".

They had but broke his skin when everything turned red, and when he came to, two of the kindest gray eyes were upon him.

He was in a sewer with that man, and he let Naruto take a seat while he went towards the cage in the other end of the hall...

_**"Who's there?"**_

_**

* * *

**_

It was close to a month ago when he once again saw the fox in the meadow, but instead of taking to the forest upon sensing his presence, the orange fox came loping towards him, and Naruto could see that its tails were tied in some sort of braid.

_**Do you feel that?**_

_Feel what?_

_**It comes.**_

A circle adorned with unknown symbols bloomed to life in the sky, and Naruto was quickly thrust back into consciousness.

He thought that the strange fox with the braided tail was pulling his leg, when the rush of... something... hit him.

Naruto doubled over, the wind knocked out of him briefly.

His eyes widened - **something **had appeared, and based on the ninja, civilians and ANBU he sensed going about their business like nothing was wrong, he was the only one who knew that as night fell in Konoha, strange things were afoot.

The powerful impulse had long since subsided to a series of slowly fading pulses, and it took significant effort from Naruto's eight-year-old legs to carry him to one of the Training Grounds that next to no one used.

Upon his arrival, a sight most bizarre graced his vision.

Slowly but surely, a hole began opening in the space just above the training ground; like a package being opened. The twilight sky was still rather bright, and the orange of the setting sun clashed with the swirling purple hues within the "gap".

Several moments that seemed like forever passed, as Naruto could not help but gaze at the swirling anomaly with wonder, until everything changed.

He was about to try interacting with it when he was knocked to the ground by something purple flung from the gap, followed by what looked like a large glass that shattered upon landing.

By the time Naruto had extricated himself from whatever that purple thing was, the gap was gone, two women lying on the grass of the training ground taking its place. One was around the age of the Hokage's secretary and wore a strange purple dress, while the other had a shade of blonde hair like his and wore... nothing. The way she landed seemed like she was housed inside the glass that by now had shattered, the fragments fortunately a good enough distance to not injure the girl inside.

The boy stared at the situation in confusion until he felt that familiar tug in his mind.

He paid it no heed as he made his way to the woman in purple, who by now was shivering and trying to unconsciously reach out to the blonde girl. A racking cough that stained the grass with blood utterly shocked Naruto, but the trauma of two years past had hardened him enough to maintain his composure.

He heard a gasp.

_These people need help!_

Before he could turn and make for the Village proper, Naruto abruptly collapsed onto the grass as he went unconscious, his being pulled into the mindscape...

* * *

"Hey."

Naruto awoke.

He was in the meadow... and the orange fox with the braided tail was licking his face awake.

"H-h-huh?"

"Get up," the fox said. "We don't have much time."

"What do you mean?"

"Time passes here much slower than outside; I brought you here because I need your help."

"What would you need my help for, Mr. Fox?"

"The women you found... they're close to death."

Naruto gagged.

"You've seen ninja get killed every now and then, kid," the fox said. "Don't let this bother you - not when we can still do something."

"You're right! I gotta go to the hospital!"

"Nice try," the fox replied, "but that's no good."

"No good? But why?" Naruto asked. "The hospital would try and save..."

His explanation was stopped short. Though it was closer to three years than two since that birthday incident of his, the people of Konoha still seemed to actively think he wasn't there.

If he went to a hospital, he'd most likely be thrown out or ignored - wasting precious time.

Just like what Medic-Nin 119 said - that drama show he watched about medical ninja and their amazing feats - every moment counted.

"Do you have a way to save them, Mr. Fox?" Naruto asked.

The fox nodded. "Yes, I do, but you'll have to do the hand seals for it. I'll teach them to you and walk you through them outside. Is that okay?"

"Yes, let's do it!"

"Okay, here's the first set of seals: Dragon, Ox, Snake, Rooster, Tiger, Dragon..." the fox began, all the while congratulating himself as the solution to his little confinement problem literally fell into his lap. _What drew me here seems too familiar to a summoning, but why didn't the other ninja notice? __Perhaps they know how to free me from this seal..._

As soon as Naruto opened his eyes, the Fox had been correct - only seconds had passed since falling unconscious and learning the hand seal sequences.

_**"Naruto! No time to waste! Get the child over to the woman!"**_

As he did just that, the Fox was whispering last-second instructions into his head.

_**"The seal sequence has to be perfect. One miss and who knows what might happen."**_

_"All right."_

_**"Okay, begin. First set of hand seals; Dragon, Ox, Snake, Rooster, Tiger, Dragon..."**_

Uzumaki Naruto wasn't that good with hand seals, but in a situation like this, he did them correctly, although a bit slower than the fox would have liked. _Still, _the fox thought, _better slow and precise than going in with haste and making a mistake._

_**"...Snake, Rabbit, Ram, Dragon, Ox, Dragon... and now, palms on the ground!"**_

Naruto hit his open palms just as he and the fox within him cried the technique name out in unison.

_**"KUCHIYOSE: URA EDO TENSEI!"**_

A massive chakra flare in the immediate vicinity of Konoha quickly had several squads of ANBU heading for one of the remote training grounds, where a most bizarre sight came to them.

The child housing the Kyuubi no Youko - Uzumaki Naruto - was weaving on his feet, looking at the two women he used the strange technique on.

As he slowly lost consciousness again, he could hear one of the ANBU shout "Prepare the medics, we've got two live ones here!", and was filled with elation that he had just saved two lives.

Meanwhile, in a meadow, a certain orange fox with braided tail smiled at the results.

_Good job, Naruto - consider this your first step towards your dream. Never thought I'd use the one technique taught to me here, or that it would take more out of me than I thought, but..._

_You're a bit too young to be talking to me, so I'm going back to the woods. I'll likewise use my power to remove your knowledge of this incident and that technique, as you're not ready for its repercussions yet..._

_Grow stronger, Uzumaki Naruto. Grow stronger... and meet me again when you have._

_See you later..._

The fox took off into the forest, and soon, the meadow was once again desolate save for the grass dancing in the wind...

* * *

By the time Naruto had awoken, he was back in his apartment where a very stern Third Hokage looked upon him with disapproval.

"Naruto..."

The boy grinned. "Yes, sir?"

"What was that?"

"Oh, that technique?" Naruto asked. "It was some sort of... uh... wait a second, what happened?"

"Were you doing advanced studies again? The way it looked, it seemed like you were trying to unlock your chakra."

"Yeah! That's it!" Naruto replied, his trademark grin returning. "But by the time I finished with the meditation thing, something purple came out of nowhere, and before I knew it, there were the women on the grass."

"Continue," the Hokage said.

"And then, I saw that the woman didn't look too well, and... no one would probably listen to me if I said I saw someone hurt near the training grounds..." Naruto said, trailing off, getting a sigh from the aged Hokage.

"...but as Medic-Nin 119 says, 'every moment counts', believe that! So I did the meditation thing again, and instead of trying to feel my chakra, I let it flow out!"

"You used a chakra flare just to get the ANBU to help the people you found?"

"Yes, sir."

"They could be belligerents - bad guys - from another village, you know that."

"Sir," Naruto explained. "They appeared from out of **nowhere**. Iruka-sensei himself said that no one was able to do that since the Yondaime Hokage passed on."

_How perceptive. And this is the one the Academy faculty constantly puts at the last of the academic standings? _the Hokage asked himself. _This needs some seeing into. _"Very well, Naruto... I'm going to have to ask you to write down what happened, as you were the only witness of the incident."

"How soon do you need it, sir?"

"The upcoming weekend would be good."

"Of course, sir."

The old man gave Naruto's hair a quick ruffle before finally standing up and exiting the boy's apartment, leaving the boy to his thoughts.

_Why do I have the feeling that I've somehow forgotten something important?_

_

* * *

_

"Hi."

"Hello," the boy replied a bit hesitatingly.

"My name's Alicia. What's yours?"

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"Nice to meet you, Naruto. Say, why are you all alone over there?"

"...none of the other kids seem to like me."

"Why?"

The boy seemed like he would answer, but the thought escaped from his mind's grasp and he shrugged. "It's always been that way."

Alicia put her hands in a thinking gesture. "Well, that doesn't sit well with me. Mother always tells me to try and figure out the reasons for everything."

"Your name doesn't sound like anything I've ever heard, Alicia-san," Naruto said quietly.

"Of course," Alicia replied. "My Mother and I are from another place."

"Oh," Naruto replied.

The rest of the lunch hour was spent with Alicia and Naruto exchanging stories about themselves, and the rest of the school day was uneventful to the young Testarossa...

* * *

"Mother, I'm home," Alicia said as she walked into the door of their moderately-furnished apartment.

"Good to see you're back," Precia said.

"How'd the interview go?" Alicia asked her mother as she closed the door behind her and put her school sandals on the rack.

Precia grinned at her daughter, pointing at the Konoha forehead protector she wore around her neck before she resumed her busying around the kitchen.

"AWESOME!" Alicia exclaimed. "Can I wear it?"

"Alicia dear..." Precia explained with a little mock sadness, "you'll have to get your own."

"That means I'm gonna stick it out in the Ninja Academy, then!" Alicia said, resolute. "Speaking of Ninja Academy, I made another new friend today, Mother."

"Really?" Precia asked. "Who might it be?"

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Precia nodded appraisingly as she finished her cooking and placed the food on the table. "He's a good kid."

"Yeah, but everyone seems to avoid him," Alicia said, making her way to the table, but was stopped short by her mother.

"Hands," Precia said.

Alicia just smiled, continuing to relay the events of the day towards her mother as she cleaned herself up before the meal.

As Precia watched her daughter eat, a strange feeling of peace filled her - it was as if she could handle nearly anything that could come her way.

She was proud of her daughter, but that did not mean she would spoil her.

As Alicia continued to talk about the Ninja Academy, Precia fiddled with a small shield-like crest with her fingers as she listened to her daughter.

_For you, I can take on anything, _she thought. _I want you to be able to take care of yourself, too. But no matter what happens, you'll always be my baby girl._

"Mother?" Alicia asked suddenly. "Why are you crying?"

"It's nothing," Precia replied as she continued to look at her daughter. "I'm just happy."

"Say..." Alicia said. "Why don't I invite Naruto here over the weekend? Watch TV, do kid's stuff, that sort of thing."

"Good idea," Precia said as she wiped her tears, remembering what the Hokage said about the boy being the one to save both her and her daughter's lives.

It would not do to be ungrateful or let oneself get hitched on the bandwagon. Precia Testarossa was just not that kind of person.

And evening passed over the Village Hidden in the Leaves as new life began to bloom...

* * *

Chapter 2 - **END**

**

* * *

**

**author notes:** Why is Naruto able to speak like this despite being eight years old? One, the events of his 6th birthday shook things up a lot for him; and two, since this is a Nanoha crossover, if you can suspend your disbelief in Takamachi Nanoha acting not quite like a nine-year-old, you can suspend your disbelief in Naruto's case, too. They are, after all, loners at roughly the same point in their lives.

He'll get better as soon as his Academy tenure rolls along.

**Next chapter:** Time passes, school days, a nice boat appears somewhere, someone rants, more Yamanaka Inoichi appearances, a Task Force is born, and the Hokage drops the biggest loyalty check ever on Precia Testarossa's lap.


	3. Sunrise, Sunset

_DISCLAIMER:_ It's Kishimoto's Naruto and Seven Arcs' Nanoha, and this isn't intended to change that status quo.

* * *

_Everything felt like it happened a lifetime ago. What I wanted was my family. What I received was a second chance._

_And now, pieces of the past I had thought were gone are returning._

_I must be strong to weather this storm, for all our sakes._

_Naruto: Arcane Heart will now begin.  
_

* * *

_**Naruto: Arcane Heart**_

**Chapter Three: Sunrise, Sunset**

* * *

"This show is crap."

Alicia Testarossa gave the blonde boy sitting next to her on the couch a knowing look.

"We sat for like twenty-five weeks' worth of weekends just to see what would happen and then it's all WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER for those guys," Alicia said, nodding her assent. "BORING!"

Precia winced a bit upon hearing this. One of her solo C-rank missions not too long ago was to deliver a message to a certain Tsunade in Otafuku Gai, and decided that bringing Alicia along on an impromptu shopping trip was a decent enough cover.

Pity Alicia had to copy the phrase off some guy who hit a roulette jackpot just as they were passing through, though she had to admit that it had a nice ring to it.

But what really got her attention was how a certain Uzumaki Naruto took to hanging out here - at the modest apartment the Testarossas called home - during the weekends: catching up on homework, getting tutored by Precia on a few basic things, watching cartoons in the morning, and generally doing... children's stuff.

She even brought a box of those colored bricks in Otafuku Gai for Alicia... and her new friend.

"I thought they wouldn't do it again. I mean, this guy gets caught in an explosion and survived before..."

"Before?" Alicia asked, her face taking on an expression of mixed revulsion and horror.

"What we just finished was a sequel."

"Shitty sequel, if you ask me," Alicia muttered.

"Alicia, language," a voice called from the kitchen.

"Sorry, Mother," Alicia responded singsong before turning back to Naruto. "So... you said that your throwing needed improvement, right?"

"More like it totally sucks. Not only that, I still don't even get hand seals right most of the time."

"Let's go practice those after we eat - I have my hand seals down right, but my speed in making them could be better, too. Sound good?"

"Yeah," Naruto answered, smiling.

As Precia saw her daughter and her friend watch another television show, she was glad that they were helping out Naruto, in a way.

Alicia had extended that invitation to the boy two weeks in - and explained it to her mother with her observations. Almost no one seemed to notice him, and the boy seemed to be... content with that arrangement.

That struck an odd note in Precia, because children of Naruto's age shouldn't be trying to vanish into the background - the tendency was for kids to think that the world revolved around them, hence the need for attention.

And now that Naruto was an unofficial part of the family, he seemed to let his guard down whenever the weekends rolled around - it had also resulted in him trying to take a more active role in his schooling.

When some of the teachers tried to ignore him in class, it was Alicia who would cough loudly, make noise, or generally cause a bit of mayhem to throw whoever that teacher was off a loop. Even better, when some silver-haired chunin tried to sabotage Naruto in learning taijutsu basics, Precia (after her daughter warned her) took some time to watch the proceedings, use Hrist to record the whole thing, and then replay it in front of the Hokage.

He ended up with a reprimand (that was a slap on the wrist if Precia ever saw one - or was it?), and thankfully decided to stay out of Naruto or the Testarossas' way from then onward - and everyone in the Academy faculty had to be objective about their teaching, prejudices and hushed whispers about "foxes" and "demon brats" notwithstanding.

One odd result was that sections of Academy students were now assigned to specific teachers - the class with Naruto and Alicia were placed under one Umino Iruka. Though met with skepticism at first, results had shown almost immediately - Naruto and Alicia's studies suddenly flourished, and the two managed to find the time to make new friends after that - Inuzuka Kiba and Nara Shikamaru (who showed more flashes of brilliance in their schoolwork due to the improved learning climate).

What was borderline hilarious about the four of them was Alicia mirroring her mother at her age and picking fights with anyone who so much as muttered insults towards Naruto - Kiba got in on the act, and Shikamaru was just shaking his head and muttering "troublesome blondes" all throughout.

As Alicia followed Naruto up to the roof of the apartment building to practice, her mind wandered to the second-most intriguing kid in their Academy class - Uchiha Sasuke.

She didn't see him the way her other kunoichi-to-be classmates did; it was because he was usually there and helping out at the Yamanaka flower shop whenever she went and picked up her mother - those chats about gardening came like clockwork.

Sasuke seemed rather unapproachable, as any and all of her attempts at conversation were quickly diverted into more mundane topics - the Uchiha would shift into a very formal style of speech as soon as she'd want to talk about something other than schoolwork, the weather, flowers...

When they were already at the rooftop and pinned the scroll which contained the twelve standard hand seals for use in various ninjutsu and genjutsu, Alicia put her curious thoughts on the Uchiha away. She wouldn't help Naruto that much if she was distracted.

* * *

"Precia-san... you seem rather pensive."

"I'm sorry, Ranmaru-san. Just wondering how Alicia's doing."

"Four days travel time plus a two-week shift on the Konoha-Ame border? You can bet that a lot of things will happen."

"Indeed... Being out of the loop isn't really my cup of tea - I can't wait to get my final proficiency and get to teaching at the Academy."

"Mugi... you want to teach too?" the masked man asked the brunette, who nodded as the four of them were camped out in the proverbial middle of nowhere.

"Anyway," the other ninja said - this one's outfit was a dead ringer for Might Guy, but without the leg warmers and a very dark gray jumpsuit instead of green, "this job's not going to be that hard, Amegakure's too busy getting itself together to try and bother a teeny little border patrol team like ours."

"You're saying what I think you're saying, Kururugi?" the masked man asked. "Imagine that... Mr. Konoha-Chou-Dai-Senpuu's getting cold feet."

"Not exactly," Kururugi replied, "as with what Precia-san and Tsumugi-san say, 'discretion is always the better part of valor'. Come to think of it, Ranmaru-san... teaching?"

"I know, I know," Musashi Ranmaru answered as he took off his face mask to tear a chunk off the roast, revealing his decidedly run-of-the-mill face, "I've got a few areas that I could be of help in. You know, codes and ciphers, strategy and tactics..."

"...ikebana," Mugi whispered.

"That's not too bad," Precia mused. "An old associate of mine raises bonsai trees. Plus, I heard the Academy teacher of kunoichi finery is nearing mandatory retirement age. You'd do a good job filling her shoes."

Mugi blushed a bit as she nodded. "Still, I'm not as experienced as she is. There's still injutsu to cover."

Kururugi Seiryuu snorted. "As if the Academy would actually teach full-blown injutsu to ten-year-old girls, not to mention the fact that there are no potential injutsu specialists in this batch of Academy students."

"True, but any Leaf kunoichi should be given at least the basics," Ranmaru answered, "just as all potential Genin should be taught the things I specialize in, especially if they've hitched onto the fast-track for promotion. You know, cover the bases."

"As far as I know, the Academy's been doing a good job in regards to that," Precia said. "The war games they hold every so often are a very good simulation of what ninja activity is like."

"But Precia-san," Akiyama Tsumugi replied, "you yourself said that based on what you've seen, you haven't been satisfied with the Academy curriculum."

"In some aspects, not in others," Precia replied. "Come to think of it, your name sounds familiar, Kururugi-taicho... are you that guy who refused a promotion?"

"I didn't refuse my promotion, I only delayed it," the jumpsuited-nin clarified with a chuckle. "Someone has to keep an eye on these two so they can get to their Academy tenure in one piece, and I got a - quote unquote - 'friendly suggestion' from the Hokage even though it was already part of my medium-term plans."

"You were on the same genin squad?" Precia asked.

Kururugi nodded. "The funny thing was, I was the last of the three of us to be promoted to chunin. Guess investing that time into mastering the Konoha Senpuu worked out fine after all."

"I can remember the look on your face when Guy showed it off against that porn fiend Kakashi," Ranmaru said. "How's stealing his Omote Renge working out for you, Seiryuu?"

"Pretty good so far," he replied. "I've also gotten close to stealing both his other **and** his other other secret move without resorting to the Celestial Gates."

"Well, I would want a lot more time devoted for guidance and counselling," Mugi said, changing the subject. "We've gotta prepare these kids for the world - make sure what they run into won't warp them."

Precia caught the implied message. _We don't want another Orochimaru or Uchiha Itachi running around_."Which reminds me of business back home."

Ranmaru shrugged. "To think our jonin-sensei - one of the best psy-ops jonin we've ever had - now prefers tending to his psychiatric practice and his flower shop."

"It's not that bad," Mugi replied. "While Inoichi-taichou has been placed in the reserve list, he's still unofficially on duty. Why do you think he's still available for a consult with high-profile cases? Not to mention, he's still keeping tabs on that Uchiha kid."

Both men nodded as their dinner was about to finish.

"So, Kururugi-taicho," Precia asked. "The usual order of watch?"

Her time with this team was very well spent, as while Team Kururugi was very well-rounded, they had no resident ninjutsu expert, a spot which Precia quickly filled. And as they were adept in the other areas of ninja technique, Precia's skill as a ninja grew quickly.

Too quickly, it seemed, until Precia revealed the instrument that had been her means to get the chunin rank right off the bat during one mission - the Intelligent Device known as Hrist. That was when Team Kururugi understood that she already had the tools to become a great combat ninja, she just needed the mentality of one. When she got over that hurdle, her growth was even quicker.

"Yes," their jumpsuited team leader said.

Business as usual.

* * *

Umino Iruka was looking over the records of his homeroom class in the Konoha Ninja Academy. The first year of potentially the best batch of graduates in quite some time had just ended, and he was pleased with the results.

Most of them - despite having been given the option to take the Academy test - declined, saying that they all had glaring deficiencies in their skills that they needed to work on over a few more school years.

What was most surprising was that the previously shy and apathetic Uzumaki Naruto had improved dramatically across all areas. Not only that, the newbie Alicia Testarossa had caught up to the curriculum with near-alarming speed. Perhaps it had something to do with her mother - Iruka had heard the stories of how she managed to have her notes on a D-rank lightning jutsu placed into the Hokage's library three weeks upon her arrival in Konoha.

The improvements did not only come academically, but in personal interaction as well. The normally aloof boy was now unafraid of speaking his mind, his confidence boosted by his fellow blonde. His friendship with the Inuzuka and the Nara also helped out a lot. And lastly, although Uchiha Sasuke still had the best academic rank, Naruto and Alicia had placed themselves in a position to make a legitimate challenge for his spot - they had actually been the second and third students out of their batch to unlock the use of their chakra.

He could still remember the day after their achievement - a disheveled and frustrated Inuzuka Kiba and Nara Shikamaru trudged into the classroom first and stared daggers at the two blondes. Their parents must have heard of the news and would not let two clanless kids pull the rug from under them. Every other "clan kid" from their batch (sans Sasuke) followed suit - _gossip really does travel quickly,_ Iruka thought.

_This year will be interesting, _he thought as he opened a file on one of the new students this schoolyear. _Hmm._ _Hyuuga Hinata. Yes, this year will be very interesting._

* * *

That night, the Third Hokage was going through some serious thinking of his own.

Iin the aftermath of whatever incident had brought the Testarossas here, he had Kakashi use the Sharingan to look over the remains of where Naruto had used the chakra flare, only to find that it wasn't a chakra flare at all - it had too many controlled elements to it, as if the boy had somehow used a powerful jutsu...

_Had the Nine-Tails somehow found a way to subvert the seal? Not likely, _he thought. _But... a jutsu... whose recoil was powerful enough to cause a chakra flare to be felt nearly in town..._

He rechecked the medical records of the Testarossas, and after leafing through the details of what Konoha General Hospital's medic-nin found, understood.

_Some sort of advanced medical and/or regenerative jutsu was used - Jiraiya did say that the seal would give him some sort of healing ability._

_But... to be able to extend it to someone?_

_I'll have Jiraiya check out the seal,_ the Third decided. It would not do to have Naruto spring a sudden surprise on all of them - not when the Hokage was knee-deep in planning a few surprises of his own.

* * *

_**"...sorry... Alicia..."**_

_**"...go... now..."**_

Warmth.

_**"...thank you..."**_

_**"I'm sorry..."**_

_It's all right._

_After all..._

_I am your big sister._

_Your strong and gentle friends..._

_...are waiting for you, right?_

_Then... take care, Fate..._

_I wish..._

_I could have..._

_been with..._

_you..._

_like this..._

_in reality..._

Alicia Testarossa woke with a start.

_Just a dream... but it seemed so real..._

_Fate... my sister... I have a sister?_

_She seemed so real..._

Alicia slowly got up from bed and walked towards the living room when a wave of nausea hit her.

Naruto was seated on the couch and watching television when he saw the girl unsteady on her feet.

"Alicia?" he asked, and the girl took several wavering steps towards her...

She had taken barely three steps when Naruto was on to her falling form, grabbing her before she could hit her head on something. "Alicia!"

Precia emerged from the kitchen to see Naruto tending to an unconscious Alicia.

"What happened here?" she asked, trying to keep the panic from overwhelming her.

"She didn't look okay, so I had her lie down here," Naruto answered before looking back at the sleeping girl.

"Watch over her," Precia said. "I'll go call a medic-nin."

All the while, Naruto was gobsmacked at the sudden turn of events, and could do nothing but keep a watch over the door and the girl he had come to consider as an older sister of sorts. _I must not panic, _he thought. _Remember Medic-nin 119!_

Barely five minutes had passed when the door flew open, and in walked Precia with a kunoichi outfitted with the standard medic-nin uniform.

"She's sleeping," the brunette said after running a diagnostic jutsu on the girl.

"Thank goodness, Mugi," Precia answered.

"We're not out of the woods yet. I've seen these symptoms. She's under some sort of mental shock."

"Shock?" Precia and Naruto asked, aghast.

"It happens all the time with us; misusing THAT particular jutsu almost always leads to this - or worse. Alicia-chan's mind is just tired... She'll wake up in awhile, just give her mind some time to rest," the medic-nin answered.

Alicia did wake up later that day, but not only did she look like she didn't know where she was, she looked at Naruto as if he were a stranger and her own mother with a look of pity, sorrow, disappointment and maybe a little regret.

_Of course, it always had to come to that, _Precia thought. _So soon, I have to ask the Hokage for help so soon..._

_This was one of the risks I took when I made Fate..._

_If she sees who I was back then, she will not let me be her mother anymore..._

Precia sighed as she prepared herself for the inevitable trip to the Hokage's Tower...

* * *

"You're saying he used a jutsu so powerful he caused a chakra flare that a third of Konoha felt?"

"It was some sort of medical or regenerative jutsu, as per those reports. Now tell me where the discrepancy lies in all this, young grasshopper."

Jiraiya grunted, he found the term of endearment the Third Hokage used for him rather annoying. "But that can't be. The boy's chakra coils don't reflect a jutsu of that magnitude being used. And for that matter... how would he be able to use this unknown jutsu? Unless he had some help..."

"Has the seal been compromised?"

"Not in any way, no."

"Could it be someone else? An interloper, perhaps?" the Third asked.

"Maybe..." the Toad Sage answered before breaking out into a grin. "Tell me, what was Naruto's account of the whole thing?"

"He said something about 'a purple thing coming out of nowhere', and then the Testarossas appeared, then he flared his chakra to call for help."

"Well, there you have it," the Toad Sage declared. "Minato's seal interacting with the timespace anomaly along with the boy flaring his chakra equals Naruto extending his regenerative power on those two. Problem solved."

"Yes, yes..." the Third Hokage said, nodding his assent. "The traces of jutsu usage are also similar to the traces of the anomaly we only managed to see after the fact."

"With that out of the way, there's another, more pressing reason you have me here, isn't it, Sensei?"

"Alicia Testarossa."

"The child?"

"She's been having displacement problems. Preliminary report by medic-nin Akiyama Tsumugi says that it's similar to Bunshinjutsu-based mental overload, but upon subjected to a Byakugan scan, found no residual chakra leakage."

Jiraiya's face quickly turned serious, and he paced around the Hokage's office for several minutes, gathering his thoughts while leafing through chunin Akiyama's report.

"It's got to be some sort of invisible connection between Alicia and someone else. Based on these analyses of her chakra system, it's got to be some sort of seal-based elemental Kage Bunshin," Jiraiya declared as his pacing finally stopped. "Still, though... was there really no discrete chakra link out of the girl? Even with the Byakugan?"

"No," the old Hokage replied.

"Then yes, it is similar to the feedback from the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. That's workable. Still... it doesn't make any sense. The feedback loop from the technique takes instant effect, and it doesn't show itself in dreams."

"There are more complications than you can imagine," the Third said, activating the crystal ball to show the memories extracted from Precia Testarossa.

Nothing was needed to be said between master and student as they silently looked through the record of Precia's memories that was her price to pay for being in Konoha.

"Such technology..." Jiriaya said, letting out a low whistle after he saw what Precia had done in her desperation to save her daughter. "That girl seems too alike, but too different as well. Is that what I'm guessing?"

Anxious to save time, the Hokage nodded. "Yes. Alicia was cloned to create another person in her likeness."

"Cloned? As in physical, flesh-and-blood, down-to-the-last-scrap-of-DNA clone?"

"You've seen her memories; it's possible with the technology where she came from."

"There's also the existing memory-copy; the clone seems to have all the existing memories of the original up to a point, and then it gets complicated... gracious, sensei, you were right; this is certainly a tangle."

"Which is why I called on you and your expertise with seals..."

"True," Jiraiya replied - he was about to openly disparage the weak link in their old genin team, but held his tongue at the last moment - "and if what you're saying is correct, being an actual honest-to-goodness person clone, having a working chakra system AND the memory link leads to only one thing."

"Backwash," the old ninja known as the Professor and his student said simultaneously - looking at each other after speaking in sync - chuckling, and then laughing for a good minute after that.

"On more serious matters, sealing jutsu to counteract things like that are even more complicated than the circumstances which require their use," Jiraiya then said when the laughter died down. "Fukasaku-sama did say that there was another, more sensitive reason why the use of high-level, high-output seals was limited to the Uzumaki clan, which neither me nor my student got around to finding out... which brings me to my solution."

"You'll hit the books."

"Yeah," Jiraiya said, wincing at the thought of all the **reading** he had to do. "Maybe there will be something related to tweaking a seal to avoid the mental backwash that follows - the things I need will be in their usual places, right?"

"Yes... oh, and about your upcoming novel..."

Jiraiya's face fell.

"Oh, come on, sensei. You just dropped a bomb the size of Gamabunta on me. With all the studies I'm going to make, I'll have to delay publishing for another two weeks at least. No one will be around to put finishing edits on my work, you know."

"You could pass it off to the girl's mother. She's tweaking some of the Academy texts as we speak. She's halfway done with streamlining procedures. And with the new school year ten weeks away, I could have her put your novel on the fast track."

"All right, then," the Toad Sage said. "That's great. The scripts are with my agent; have your editor send it over when it's done. Gonna get myself some company - might as well enjoy my last free night in some time," the Toad Sage said before going out the office door.

* * *

"There. That should do it."

The seven-point Spiral Matrix was one of the Uzumaki Clan's specialties - and it was a condensed version that had much less functionality that the Toad Sage stumbled upon in his research.

Its original function was to prevent any and all users within a certain area from using Bunshin-based techniques - and that was where Jiraiya spent most of his time tweaking the existing design. Alicia would be unable to use even the most basic of Bunshinjutsu if anything went wrong in the planning process, so mixing the elements properly were essential.

Jiraiya then placed the seal matrix right over Alicia's _hara, _with no side effects afterward. A usual day in the office for the Toad Sage and renowned master of fuinjutsu.

"Feels funny," Alicia said after the seal integrated itself into her chakra network.

"You don't feel the residual vertigo anymore?" Jiraiya asked. "No dizziness, altered perception or consciousness?"

Alicia nodded.

"Good, but be warned. The seal I used will prevent you from using Kage Bunshin no Jutsu as a training tool - it was necessary for me to seal it, because your chakra network is treating your clone..."

"...Sister," Alicia whispered, her eyes taking on a strange intensity.

"...er, sister..." the Toad Sage continued, "as a flesh-and-blood Bunshinjutsu. The constant feedback and memory imprinting caused these symptoms."

"And now they're gone?"

"Yeah, they're gone."

Instead of being happy or even relieved, Alicia looked... dour, as she mechanically turned her head towards her bedroom door.

"I need to be alone," she said. "Thank you, Master Jiraiya, for assisting my Mother and I."

And with a near-perfect bow, Alicia strode towards her room and closed the door behind her.

"That was odd," Jiraiya and Naruto said in unison at this.

"Here's your payment, Master Jiraiya," Precia said after a moment had passed, handing the Toad Sage a sheaf of papers.

"You're done?"

Precia nodded. "I made a few changes in wording, though. Your first draft was a bit... blatant in presentation, I worked on it so that its appeal will cross gender lines."

"You did all that in ten days?" the Toad Sage asked.

"I've been asked to advise dissertations where I came from in less time," Precia replied. "It's not a problem."

"Thanks," Jiraiya answered before heading out the door of the Testarossa's apartment. "You're getting an autographed first edition."

Precia only managed to wave gratefully before she closed the door moments after the famous Sannin left.

* * *

"You seem to be doing quite the job on young Naruto," Sarutobi Hiruzen said.

"I do my part," Precia Testarossa replied, the first report made since the Toad Sage had performed the procedure on her behalf. "He's really not that bad a kid, not like what the neighbors and other people say. He's just... sometimes he gets a bit boisterous when he feels impassioned about something, but aren't all kids like that?"

"Yes," the Hokage sighed. "Both you and Alicia have helped him return to who he was before that... incident... on his sixth birthday."

_Incident?_

"How are running solo missions anyway? I have heard from your former colleagues that you've broken even with them in a short time, and then Team Kururugi was a well-oiled machine up until Musashi and Akiyama went to the Ninja Academy."

"I'm getting by, Hokage-sama," Precia replied. _Naruto's becoming rather obnoxious, Alicia's becoming distant... all in all, I'd say I am getting by - getting what I deserve, is more like it. _"Anyway, sir, about that incident? Are you saying that something happened that made him want to disappear during his Academy classes?"

The Hokage sadly nodded. "You'll have to do your own work on your own time to find out why."

"Not to be rude or anything, Hokage-sama, but why not disclose these facts to me outright?"

"For the same reason you or I do not divulge everything about ourselves immediately," the Hokage answered, smiling. _Hokage-sama's cunning smile - he wants me to do something, but what?_

_Maybe I'll start digging while Alicia's at school. Uzumaki Naruto... there's something familiar about him that I can't quite place..._

_...but Alicia..._

"There is one other thing that I need you to do for me, Precia," the Hokage said, pulling a file from his desk. "It's going to be off-the-books."

_What could that be?_

"Do not be alarmed. This won't be that difficult a mission of a kunoichi of your caliber," the Third said, chuckling as he handed her a scroll.

"Everything you need is in there. Your time limit is a year. Good luck, and good hunting."

Precia nodded in acknowledgment - she would not fail Naruto, Alicia, or Konoha. Not with all the mistakes she made before coming here.

She saluted her Hokage with the intensity of someone who would not waste her second chance.

"Dismissed."

The Hokage smiled as Precia left the office in a crack of lightning. _How quaint. She's managed to turn the basic Shunshin into a lightning-based technique... but it will take a lot more than elemental mastery to fulfill your mission, Precia-san._

* * *

Morning dawned over Konohagakure.

A month and a half had passed since Alicia's little problem was solved, which paved the way for a larger one.

_"So you're trying your hand at playing this game, have you?"_

_"Not really. Just getting a feel for the water before taking a dive in the pool."_

_"Ah. Prudence. Ninja nowadays are all fancy jutsu and bloodline tricks. Makes me miss the day when all we had were shuriken, kunai and ninja wire - swords optional."_

_"I wouldn't know about that... mister..."_

_"...Shimura. Shimura Danzo. Don't waste our time with introductions, as your reputation has preceded you entirely, Precia Testarossa."_

Still, it was refreshing for Precia Testarossa to finally have her daughter back to being civil towards her. _Naruto may have gotten a hand or two in it._

As Alicia went off to the Ninja Academy with Naruto, Precia finally began to let down her guard in this place, ANBU watcher be damned. The Third Hokage would have not needed to hold something over her head, as she wholeheartedly threw her lot in with Konoha whether she was pressured to or not.

The feeling of having something work out well in the end was new to her, and she was enjoying it immensely - today was team training with Seiryuu and the others, and she had proficiency appraisals at the end of the month. If she could pass those tests with flying colors, a recommendation to take the jonin promotion exams would be coming.

That, and she would meet Councilman Shimura for lunch today as well.

Today was just a normal day in the life of Precia Testarossa, chunin of Konoha, even if newer things were bound on the horizon.

Meanwhile, in the Konoha Ninja Academy, Alicia and Naruto were just about ready to begin their assault on the Number One Rookie title, but little did they know that a new arrival would change their Academy plans significantly...

"...so, I heard we'd be getting some new classmates today," Inuzuka Kiba began. "Wonder if they'll be awesome like us?"

"Of course they will be," Naruto answered. "Teacher's coming, back to normal."

"All right, class," Umino Iruka began just as the last few of Naruto's classmates filed into the room and into their preferred seats last year. "Great. A lot of you guys here were under my advisory last year. There may be several new entrants into your class, but that just means it will take less effort on your and my behalf on getting used to one another.

"Oh... and don't change the seating arrangements, either," the scarred chunin added before turning towards the door, nodding for the new students to come in.

"Well, why don't you introduce yourselves?"

"I am Kurama Yakumo. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Yakushi Tsubomi."

"My name is Hyuuga Hinata. I look forward to learning with you all."

Chapter 3 - **END**

* * *

**author's note: **Musashi Ranmaru looks like he came from a Hisashi Hirai artbook. Hence nearly every mention of his face will be described as "generic", "ordinary", "dime-a-dozen", what have you. His name is also a tribute to another infamous character inflicted with Hirai-face syndrome, among other, more unsavory things. No, he won't steal the show in Twin Fates along with his pink-haired "girlfriend".

That show with the drills and orange sunglasses won't make an appearance until after the Konoha Ninja Academy Task Force is formed - the last member of the group needs to join up before drills can be spun and manly tears start to roll.

Also, in this story, Iruka will be the homeroom teacher assigned to Naruto's batch of graduates (the future Rookie 10).

And I may have shot myself in the foot regarding series chronology... but in the end would probably be handwaved as a side effect of the jutsu used. Ura Edo Tensei not only requires a metric buttload of chakra, it also has several possible spacetime-warping side effects we still have yet to see, you know?

...and yes, that bit with Iruka was shamelessly pulled from Azumanga Daioh. No, Yugito will not pull on people's tongues and start quoting Soseki titles, nor flip out when they say she looks like the Second Kazekage during better days.

**next chapter: **"...for she that sheds her blood today with mine, shall forever be my sister... the fact that we happen to have the same seiyuu is just gravy."

_Omake:_

"...Might Guy, with his ugly green jumpsuit, and his thirty-three pound eyebrows, shedding manly tears that ain't even one bit manly, throwing up that sunset genjutsu over the craps players while going 'YOOOOOUUUUUUUTH...' Sharingan Kakashi, reading his porn books, looking up skirts, looking down shirts, scaring everyone in the casino... *mimics Kakashi's perverted giggle*... and finally, we come to the biggest goof of them all, the so-called gallant Jiraiya... doing the only thing - and I mean the ONLY thing - that's managed to impress me, and that's this!" *does Jiraiya's trademark Kabuki dance while his eyes are rolled up and his tongue is sticking out*

"Remind me to get Asuma wasted again the next time we jonin go out," Yuuhi Kurenai told Mitarashi Anko as mayhem erupted in the bar, bodies and jutsu flying everywhere as the two so-called rivals double-teamed the younger Sarutobi for mouthing off... while drunk.

"Where does he get those taijutsu moves from? I should spar with him more often," Anko mused while Kakashi took several crucial moments to raise his headband and got put through a table with more unorthodox "taijutsu" for his trouble.

**"STUNNER! STUNNER! BAH GAWD! IT'S GETTIN' TO BE A REAL SLOBBERKNOCKER HERE FOLKS!"**

The two kunoichi spared a glance at Hyuuga Hiashi who had placed a weird hat on his head, grabbed an empty sake bottle as a makeshift microphone and started drawling a running commentary as his aptly-named "slobberknocker" was ongoing.

Just then, one of the newer special jonin (_that guy with the senbon for a toothpick, what was his name? Shiranui or something, _Anko thought) quickly joined the Hyuuga in shouting **"PUPPIES!"** when one of the medic-nin got her top yanked off in the melee...

And all the while, Precia Testarossa was situated in a distant corner of the jonin bar, eyes glued onto a scroll on intermediate elemental manipulation and hand seals, lost to the everyday insanity going on around her in Konoha's jonin bar.

**Jutsu list:**

_Konoha-Chou-Dai-Senpuu _- Leaf Super Great Whirlwind. Kururugi Seiryuu's perfected Konoha Senpuu. This is one of the few moves in this universe that operates at 97.5% efficiency. Outrageous muscle and chakra control required. Will get renamed into the Kururu-kick sometime in the future. :3

_Injutsu _is basically seduction arts for kunoichi and resisting seduction arts for shinobi.


	4. Ordinary Days

_disclaimer:_ you know it. :) also, **that** show belongs to Studio GAINAX.

**foreword: **Here's the rewritten Chapter Four. Six (or so) more and we can move onto Twin Fates. Don't worry, I'm still adding scenes to Chapter Seven, albeit slowly. Small warning for a kinda-sorta questionable relationship (as usual, your mileage may vary).

* * *

_Everything felt like it happened a lifetime ago. What I wanted was my family. What I received was a second chance._

_So the time has come for me to harden my heart once more, but again, not for my sake but for Alicia's._

_And in gratitude to the boy who caught a miracle from the sky and held onto it until he got what he wished._

_For their smiles, I will do **anything.**  
_

_Naruto: Arcane Heart will now begin._

* * *

_**Naruto: Arcane Heart**_

**Chapter Four: Ordinary Days**

* * *

_She dispelled her Device and immediately went to his side as the man collapsed to the floor from her series of elemental attacks. _

_"Why?" she asked. "You should have been able to see that coming!"_

_"Heh heh heh..." the dying man said - that much energy passing through him would fry a lot more than just his chakra coils, "didn't need that other eye after all..."_

_"Let me try and get you some help... please."_

_"Don't you... get it?" he wheezed. "You already did."_

_"I know," she replied, taking his hand within hers. "But... still... there should have been another way..."_

_"Just... promise me."_

_She held his hand within hers tighter._

_"You don't have to worry. I will... tend to your garden."_

_In the darkness of that underground office, his last smile lit up the room... "then I've no regrets. Thank you... Precia."_

_His hand went limp._

Precia Testarossa's eyes opened.

_It's been what, close to three years now? Yet... I still dream of it from time to time._

Alicia would not be scheduled to come to school until ten-thirty later today, and as a glance showed the time - six a.m. - Precia Testarossa slowly pulled herself off the bed.

_Today shows a lot of promise._

As she finishes the rituals of the morning, Precia had to smile. It would be three and a half years since she and Alicia made their way here, and everything was slowly moving along.

Up until today - as today was the moment of truth for both her daughter and the boy she'd come to consider as a sort-of son or nephew - Uzumaki Naruto.

Today was their genin exam - several semesters of opting out of the Academy graduation test because of that thrice-be-damned Bunshin no Jutsu, and this was their last chance. Failure would mean their advancement coming to a complete and grinding halt.

And that sucked more than anyone's business, because every ninja worth their salt in Konoha knew that Uzumaki Naruto and Alicia Testarossa had the potential to become excellent ninja.

_Still, _Precia thought, _having the Bunshin no Jutsu as the graduation test for seven semesters running? I've already told my old team about this coincidence. Three straight semesters of the same tripe and they've only begun investigating. It's Alicia's last chance - same as Naruto's - or maybe this was all planned out?_

She tried to keep the pessimistic kunoichi thoughts away for the moment and got dressed for her morning trip to the market district - best get there while all the good stuff is on the shelf, of course...

And off she went after activating the locking seals in her apartment, not really minding that Naruto actually spent the night and burned the midnight oil with Alicia to prepare for today.

* * *

There was one thing Precia's Intelligent Device could enable its wielder to do that the Hokage forbade to use under nearly all circumstances.

_Flight._

Heading to the rooftops and taking large chakra-powered leaps was a good enough substitute for her, and as she breathed in the early morning air, she looked off to the side - the Training Ground where her old team practiced their basics, formations, jutsu, and whatever needed improvement at the time.

She smiled. Their last several missions were nothing if a resounding success; finishing in style, that was how Kururugi Seiryuu - the shinobi in charge - would say it.

_"Target is at your 7:30 and moving due east."_

_"We're going to draw them to the water where you'll be a lot more effective with your ninjutsu."_

_"The missing-nin seem to know who we are - they're actively avoiding water sources. If only we had a means to divert them to open ground or the river..." another kunoichi said, her low voice complementing her closed eyes and meditative pose as the gray jumpsuit-wearing ninja covered her._

_Flocks of birds went taking off as explosions rocked the forest._

_"That a good enough distraction for you guys?" a masked ninja said as he appeared in front of the group gathered under cover. _

_"Even now, your propensity to turn to the higher-powered explosive notes despite your genius at planning and tactics never fails to amaze me," Precia whispered._

_"I live to please," Ranmaru said, satisfied that his work had its own set of admirers._

_"What do you expect from a closet pyro-" Mugi was about to finish when her eyes suddenly shot open. "Water contact. They've taken to the river. Taicho, you're up."_

_Seiryuu grinned as he stood up. "Precia, cover me. If I can't take them out before they make for the border, you send an RKB out."_

_She hesitated for a moment, but upon remembering just what a certain "order" did to his combat abilities, nodded. "If it comes to that, Taicho."_

_"Good. Now let's get to it," the leader of their four-man cell said as he went off towards the battlefield with a Shunshin._

_Not even five seconds had passed before the familiar crack that was Seiryuu's patented spin kick connecting filled the air. "The Chief has engaged. Phase two is a go," Ranmaru said, taking to the shadows once more with Tsumugi, leaving Precia under cover and channeling chakra for what had become one of her staple techniques._

_"Raiton," she whispered, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."_

_With a small flash that was immediately concealed by the puff of smoke that followed, a copy of Precia materialized._

_"Back Seiryuu up. Dispel if you think they're gonna get away, try to get as many of them as you can," she told her clone._

_"Roger," it replied before heading to the battlefield via the tree branches._

_She barely had time to hold her breath before a fire jutsu nearly burned off her left side; thankfully, those months and months of her teammates drilling the basics into her paid off, as the fireball surprise ended up only scorching a log._

_A sudden flash of red light made the missing-nin's head wheel around, but that was the last mistake he made, as he felt something... pass through him._

_He faced forward only to see several kunai sticking out of his abdomen._

_By the time the last of his life leaked into the dirt, all four members of Team Kururugi were already gone, disposing of the other members of the hapless missing-nin's troupe._

_One of the stragglers thought he had gotten away from that... that monster who, in the flashes of lightning that lit up the night, had actually __**run**__ atop their leader's Suiryudan to give him a jaw-breaking spinning kick to the face._

_Everyone else among the group of bandits made like ants and scattered even before their leader hit the water, but..._

_There was a yellow crackle of lightning - thank goodness, I wasn't struck by that bolt - but as he turned to go, he suddenly couldn't move._

_Purple eyes met his brown ones, and as another flash of lightning revealed her forehead protector, this bandit immediately knew fear itself..._

_...and that fear fried him to death, as the elemental bind meant only to restrain him could not help but release the lightning-attuned chakra as soon as his body reacted in its fear..._

_...those purple eyes were the last thing he saw._

_Moments passed, and soon, rain began to fall - a crackle of lightning, and Precia Testarossa had returned to her team's deisgnated meeting point._

_"Good as good?" Seiryuu asked._

_"Good as good," the team answered in unison._

_"As always, excellent work, team. Otafuku Gai should be an hour away. We report to the Hokage tomorrow morning. Move out."_

_A roar of thunder across the landscape masked Team Kururugi's departure on yet another mission successfully completed._

* * *

Precia kept pressing onward until she passed by the Ninja Academy, where friends were made, rivalries were formed, and she finally discovered just who her daughter Alicia was for the very first time.

It was one of those days where you think nothing will go wrong.

But go wrong it did, as just when Precia Testarossa decided on what to have for lunch, a knock on her apartment door broke her thoughts.

She went to the door to see an ANBU operative handing her a scroll before leaving.

_You are required at the Konoha Ninja Academy. Your daughter Alicia's conduct has been disconcerting as of late._

Preparing for what the worst may bring but still in disbelief as to how her normally upbeat daughter would do something like that, Precia headed to the school.

As soon as the door opened, she saw her daughter being interviewed by her intermittent teammate Mugi - with their adviser Umino Iruka observing.

"Alicia. Explain yourself," she said, closing the door behind her as she went towards Alicia.

Her daughter let out a rebellious sigh before doing so. "Mother, please understand. It's not that I want Hina-chan to think like me. I just want her to know that being a ninja means sometimes, y'know, you gotta be hard..."

Precia nodded at the point her daughter was making.

"And this goes double because we're kunoichi."

"It was just supposed to be a taijutsu spar, Alicia. You didn't have to go overboard," Mugi said.

"I had no choice, Akiyama-sensei, you know it. She would pull back all her punches. We'd be tied in the spars if she would actually hit me."

"And you thought the only way to get her to fight seriously was to hit her harder?" Precia asked. "For someone of your intelligence, your judgment was lacking at the time."

"Well, it worked, didn't it? She did hit me back," Alicia replied, grinning despite her black eye and bloodied lip. "Several times, even."

"If I may interrupt your little conversation," Umino Iruka began, "this incident is just the latest of a long line of events my colleagues and I have observed. Check the reports. We have reason to believe that Alicia may be developing into a bully - the classic signs are there."

Both Testarossas gasped.

"Mother... I..." Alicia said.

Precia sighed. "Alicia, we'll talk about this later. Iruka-sensei, please elaborate."

The adviser for Alicia's class coughed. "Your daughter would constantly bait Miss Hyuuga Hinata to elicit any sort of response. When that failed, her approaches steadily grew more hostile."

"I was trying to get her to be more - what was that word? Right, assertive," Alicia explained. "I've already seen someone who - despite all her skills - couldn't strive for her own path, only following others instead. I won't let Hinata end up the same way; if I could do something about it, I would."

Precia's eyes widened slightly as understanding came over her. _Fate._

"And you thought baiting her was the best way to do it?" Tsumugi asked. "Alicia, if that was what you wanted, why not go to one of us?"

Alicia shook her head. "This is something that we kunoichi have to do ourselves, Akiyama-sensei. You know this."

"I'm glad you take your studies seriously enough, though."

Alicia beamed.

"But still, that wasn't 'just a spar', it was a real honest-to-goodness fight!"

"Don't worry - Hinata didn't actually break anything. She, on the other hand, nearly broke my nose," Alicia explained, still smiling that odd grin despite the ugly bruise on her cheekbone.

Iruka shook his head. "What am I gonna do with you..."

Precia gave a small smile. She knew the best way to deal with this.

_The next week were end-of-term tests to determine the best Academy student out of their batch,_ Precia thought. _I know what you're after, my daughter._

After a few moments of reviewing Alicia's file, the Academy teacher came to a decision. "All right, I'm not giving you a demerit yet - seeing as your record has been exemplary aside from this set of incidents - but I'm not letting you get off that easy. One month of bi-weekly sessions with Yamanaka Inoichi should do the trick, putting you with the Academy's guidance counselor is a potential conflict of interest."

Precia grinned while her daughter's face fell.

"It could be worse," Precia whispered to no one. "Thanks for being understanding, Iruka-sensei."

"Not a problem," Iruka said. "Your daughter's a nice girl, if a bit too tomboyish."

"Please don't say that, Iruka-sensei," Alicia said, her face falling further. "I'm not a tomboy."

"No," Precia replied. "It's not that. I was a lot like you when I was your age."

"Mother?"

The three of them shared a small laugh before the Testarossas bowed and left.

Just as the mother and daughter exited the office, another presence made itself known.

"Good to see you've finally started being objective about them," Kururugi Seiryuu began.

"Why do they still keep company with that... that boy?"

"They don't know the score yet, Iruka," Seiryuu said. "And with the way they carry on around him, I doubt they'll care. Good on you, though."

"It's gonna be hard."

"What Naruto's going through is a lot harder, you know."

The scarred Academy teacher sighed. "Seeing him for who he is rather than what he has..."

"You can do it. The rest of the faculty have done it - albeit because they don't want to get on Precia's bad side - but you're going to be the first one here to see him that way because you choose to."

"I know. Doesn't mean it will be easy from here on out, though."

"Baby steps, Iruka. Baby steps," Seiryuu said. "Speaking of baby steps, end-of-term exams are coming. Got any dirt on this year's genin squads-to-be?"

* * *

Precia continued across the rooftops, smiling as she passed Konoha's greater entertainment district - and a building that housed the unofficial hangout of their team, "The Forked Kunai".

"...the guy rubbed it in Tenten's face every time he'd see her... poor Hideyoshi. Doesn't know his work load's gonna be a lot worse," Seiryuu replied. "He's hit his peak - gonna end up as desk-nin at best."

"You did tell them you were reactivated for another six months at ANBU after Hideyoshi-kun got his chunin promotion, right?"

"Don't worry, I put them under that other former teacher - you remember Yakumo Rinnosuke? My old team leans more towards genjutsu, so he's gonna do a great job on them," Seiryuu answered. "So... Mugi, any luck finding... luuv?"

"The concept of 'luuv' is foreign to Konoha Hospital medical practitioners," Tsumugi replied wearily. "Took one day off just to do nothing but sleep and meet you guys here."

"Is it that bad, Mugi?" Ranmaru asked.

"No, it's worse," Mugi answered. "Speaking of medical practitioners, Tsubomi-chan's kind of a waste. That combination of chakra capacity and control at her age, she could have been the second coming of Tsunade... or Kurenai."

"That would be Yakumo, and that's another damn waste. If only she had a sturdier physique, we'd see her in the front lines, too."

"Maybe not," Mugi said. "She's under Kurenai right now, so I'm sure she'll be fast-tracked to genin to start with the regimen to cover all the other holes in her ninja skills, so she's not as much a waste as Tsubomi. That girl has potential, and she chose to throw it to the civilian sector..."

"Not really," Precia added, having heard the story from her daughter, "she just wants to be put in a spot where she can help more people, and being a civilian doctor helps a lot more than being a medic-nin. Check the books, the kid made her point - medic-nin outnumber civilian doctors three to one."

"Glad you took up my suggestion with those periodicals, Precia," Ranmaru said. "Most of them might be exaggerating, but you know the saying about 'where there's smoke'..."

"True. What about that Haruno girl? She's got pretty good control, too. Nowhere near Tsubomi-chan's, but still..."

"The only reason she can contend with Miss Kabuto control-wise is because a glass of water has more chakra capacity than she does," Ranmaru grumbled. "We've made progress in getting everyone's capacity up to genin standards and beyond, but then again, there are those two..."

"I can imagine the trouble my daughter and her 'soul brother' is giving you," Precia said, desperately trying to hold back a grin and failing.

"...Iruka tells me that right around the time their little group of friends formed, they've been able to mix business with pleasure, so to speak."

"Umino's still a wet blanket, huh?" Mugi and Seiryuu asked.

"Every bit as wet as when we were genin," Ranmaru answered. "Still has that tendency to overreact to things, too. Must've been the reason why you got called for that quote-unquote bullying issue some time back. What do you think, Mugi?"

Tsumugi shrugged. "Well, I can say with any certainty that whatever your daughter did helped Hinata out a lot. I was there when they announced the end-of-year results, right?"

"Indeed," Seiryuu said with a smile. "I was there too, to give the three of you guys 'moral support' and scout the graduating genin then. Didn't think Hyuuga Hiashi would pull off **that** face so well."

"Your previously-thought-weak daughter snatching the top rookie spot from Uchiha Sasuke tends to do that, yes," Precia said. "My daughter also found something out from Naruto."

"That kid?" Mugi asked. "Don't tell him, but I know he attended my basic Kunoichi Studies classes under a very convincing _henge_."

"Really?" Precia asked. "Still, he told Alicia that the Academy race is a lot closer than everyone thinks. Hinata's lead over Sasuke isn't as large as people think, and there's Alicia, Naruto, and maybe Sakura to consider if they fill out the holes in their skill sets..."

"You should consider teaching in the Academy, too, Precia," Ranmaru said. "And if they don't have any vacancies, there is always training the would-be genin who fail their sensei's test and the Reserve Corps."

"Why not?" Precia asked. "I do have to get a genin team of my own promoted before the Hokage would agree to let me actually teach."

"There is that," Seiryuu said, raising his cup of sake. "Anyway, how about a toast to bigger and better things in the future?"

The four of them raised their glasses.

"Kampai!"

* * *

With one final leap off a hotel's rooftop, Precia Testarossa made a graceful landing on the streets of Konoha. As the sun began to rise, she began to take her steps toward the marketplace.

Steps that inevitably led her to pass by the park.

And that park bench.

The park bench that the Councilman said was his favorite - to just be Shimura Danzo, a one-armed "retired" nin left to give his counsel to the Hokage and serve as some sort of tempering opposition to his old rival's idealism.

This was where he could let nearly everything hang loose and forget about everything.

He always said that that bench was where he felt some kind of inner peace, where he found some sort of happiness he couldn't describe, a sense of meaning in what he'd done, what he was doing right now, and what he'd do in the future.

But by the time they had carried their relationship further, even the peaceful view of the park and the streets of Konoha couldn't hide his inner turmoil. The poor man was being chased by a horde of demons - most of them demons that he himself had conjured up, all for the sake of keeping the foundation of Konohagakure strong.

The assignment had gone on longer than both she and the Third Hokage had expected, and she knew that Councilman Shimura had his own set of suspicions.

Still, it took one moment of unguarded honesty for her to change everything.

One moment of fear.

Fear that what you have done - even a long time ago - had gone beyond your control.

Fear that even if you were doing this for the right reasons, your hands were stained with the blood of so many, your soul blackened by the lives lost in your lofty pursuit, the voice in your head telling you that "this is all for a good cause" growing softer and softer until silence is all that comes back to you when you ask yourself why.

Fear that your legacy would be tainted by the dubious decisions you'd make.

And this was what drawn him to her... this was her opportunity.

Because when it came right down to it, Precia found a kindred spirit in the beleaguered councilman, offering him whatever comfort she could in whatever capacity she could.

When asked, she said that being in Konoha was her second chance and she would try and do right by anyone - even if it was someone she was ultimately assigned to take out if it came to that.

And come to that it did - when confronted about her inevitable betrayal, Precia didn't even bother to deny it...

_"I knew it. Someone like you doesn't just show up without a plan in hand. How soon were you going to tell me that Hiruzen put you up to this?"_

_"Soon enough... you don't know how much I wanted to tell you myself. I was supposed to help you through all of this, not be a further burden to you."_

_"...Burden? Even if he did give you those orders, you've been anything but."_

_"Still... I know what must be done, but I don't want it to end like this."_

_He procured a kunai. "With what I've done? This is the only way it has to end. It's you and me, Precia. I can't let you leave this place alive."_

_"Does it always have to be that way?"_

_"It's the way I've always known. Until someone who can change it comes along, we're doomed to this."_

_The incoming series of attacks dazzled her, and it only took a last minute summoning of her Barrier Jacket and a Flash Move to get her to safety._

_"I don't want to do this."_

_"If you're unwilling to do this, I'm sure I could find someone else to mold into Konoha's perfect weapon. Naruto, perhaps? Or another..."_

_Precia's eyes flashed angrily. "There's one line you should never cross with me..."_

_She summoned Hrist - her Intelligent Device - and summoned several clones with a one-handed seal._

_"...and you just did, Councilman."_

_Precia and her clones charged in._

Of course, he was lying - but how could she know it at the time?

Close to three years and several sessions with Yamanaka Inoichi later, she still couldn't figure it out. _Why go through all that?_

_We're a lot alike, the two of us._

_With what you've told me... I'm sure. Anyone from Konoha would have a reason to make something up, especially to me. You wouldn't._

Maybe that was the point of all this. To put the Councilman's plotting to an end while allowing him some dignity in his exit. Or maybe, to bring home the point that she will not always be there for Alicia. Which was why she never really objected to her daughter wanting to be a ninja. Like Naruto.

She'd leave the bits of wisdom to the wise for the moment. Right now, she still had the morning's work to do.

* * *

_It's always the odd glances people give you._

_But..._

Precia ignored them and went straight to the stalls owned by the people who actually knew better. The longer Precia's residence in Konoha was, the more she found out that it was a conspiracy of silence - the merchants who didn't actually hate Naruto were forced to ignore him or else their bottom line would suffer.

Ever since Naruto put together his _henge_ variant when going to Precia's every weekend, though, she found out that the shopkeepers would still be suspicious of her, but not do anything notable, such as mark up the prices or give her inferior goods - she did deserve her rank, after all.

The fact that someone who called her a "demon-loving whore" to her face got an instant Kururugi Kick Special to the face also helped things.

Still, nearly four years, and the Hokage would still not let her adopt Naruto? The kid needed a home and a stabilizing figure in his life, and spending weekends at her apartment - while doing a lot of good for him - was insufficient.

This was all part of the puzzle that was the "Konoha conspiracy" she was working on during idle moments, and every time a new development came, more questions arose.

Right now, as she carried her shopping bags on the way back home, she decided to just procrastinate. More important things were needed to be done, and breakfast and lunch were their names.

_I wonder if Naruto likes bacon..._

* * *

In the kitchen, Precia continued to cook breakfast, all the while smiling at the changes in both her daughter AND Naruto.

Alicia got told to keep her enthusiasm in check or divert it, and after a revealing talk with Hinata, Precia wasn't surprised that the Hyuuga girl offered her own apologies, saying that she understood - if you want someone to notice you, you can't just admire him from a distance, you've got to do something about it.

Naruto made his fourth friend the very next day, and the Konoha Ninja Academy Special Task Force (translation for those interested - _Konoha Ninja Gakko Tokusentai_ :p) was formed.

The five of them - Naruto, Alicia, Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba and Nara Shikamaru - often found themselves hanging out in either Naruto's apartment, helping him clean and sort and other things; or at the Testarossas, where they'd watch TV, read manga, play, or do their schoolwork.

Precia remembered that few months just before Hinata did the unthinkable - every Saturday morning, right on schedule, the five of them would pile into the living room after breakfast and watch a children's cartoon show.

She didn't notice too much details about it, only that it had weird orange glasses, a redhead with skimpy clothes and a gun, and drills.

One Saturday, she came home from a training session with her team to see the five of them all crying - but it was actually from the show. Precia even remembered asking herself, _what are these kids watching?_

Three weeks later, everyone exceeded expectations at the Academy, yes, even the long-thought-to-be-lazier-than-a-barrel-of-turtles Shikamaru, and they carried that momentum to the top of the practical classes.

The show finally finished shortly before the end-of-term exams, and later that day, as Alicia's friends were playing up on the apartment roof, she could not help but overhear their conversation as she brought them a snack.

_**"OOOOOOOVERLOOOOOOAAAAADDDDD!" **__Kiba shouted._

_"And then all hell breaks loose!" Naruto added._

_"My-wife-is-the-best-in-the-Universe __**SWING!**__" Alicia added. "Please tell me you didn't forget that..."_

_"Um..." Hinata said. "I'm confused with one thing. Why'd he let his wife vanish?"_

_"You caught that part where she flickered a bit?" Shikamaru asked. "That was when she realized that if they won, she'd vanish too. He accepted it sometime between then and the wedding," he explained. "Analyzing plots like can be troublesome, y'know."_

_In between lunch, they had started talking about it, with Hinata admitting that she'd totally lost all sense of decorum (earning her a stern talking-to from her father) and cried like the little girl she still was when the heroine vanished __**ON HER OWN WEDDING DAY**__. She thought all the heavy moments were over, but when they started talking about how "all the lights in the sky are stars", even Alicia had to wipe away a few tears on her sleeve._

_"I don't know about you guys," Shikamaru said as they were packing up to return to afternoon classes, "but when the DVD comes out, I'll be first in line to buy 'em."_

_His declaration was drowned out by Kiba, Naruto, Alicia and Hinata shouting "__**We'll PREORDER!**__" as one, surprising him into a pleased smile._

_As soon as the three of them left, both Alicia and Naruto turned to her and gave Precia the dreaded Puppy Dog Eyes jutsu - the elder Testarossa's resistance crumbled in an instant._

Precia chuckled as she glanced at the box set on display near their TV - it cost her two B-ranks with her team to pay for it, but it was money well-spent. Back to her cooking, she had wrapped things up and was now about to call Alicia and Naruto for the morning meal, as today was going to be a milestone for all of them.

* * *

"This meeting won't start until Precia arrives," the Hokage declared in his office as several of the Academy faculty and jonin-sensei-to-be gathered within. "As you all know, not only is this Precia's first team of genin, but she is also a critical component in the mission that is taking place right now."

Three knocks on the office door had the Copy-Nin Hatake Kakashi opening it to reveal Precia Testarossa standing in the doorway.

"Well, looks like it's a full house up in here," she said, closing the door behind her as she went in. "Thank you, Kakashi."

She got a nod back from the masked ninja as he returned to his reading, allowing herself a small grin. While the Toad Sage had initially objected to the sweeping changes she proposed for his Icha Icha series, he had quickly turned around after the first volume had immense success.

Not only that, it also crossed over to a wider audience - women loved the characters, the romance, and the beautifully-written, tugging-at-the-heartstrings love scenes; while the men loved the comedy and the smut. Precia remembered a masterpiece of a comic she had read in her youth about a guy and his ghost girlfriend, making her edits on Jiraiya's novel along the same style as that work. The Toad Sage thought it was a great job - the edits kept the spirit of what he wanted to convey despite the changes - but that some parts were "too deep" for his audience. Still, he knew it was good, so he had "Icha Icha Paradise" on a limited release at first, and the results spoke for themselves.

"Now that we are complete, the meeting shall commence," the Third Hokage started. "Akiyama, you have breaking news about this operation - please begin."

"We've found our saboteur," Akiyama Tsumugi said, handing the Third a file folder. "As it turns out, Ranmaru and I should have started with inside sources, not outside influences. When we started looking around for a possible inside job, it wasn't that hard."

"You're sure this is our man?"

"Positive."

"All right, we're going to start the operation tonight. We've already lost something priceless due to a similar incident - we will not lose another."

Precia spent a moment in thought. "It's that Academy instructor, isn't it? Mizuki?"

Everyone gave her a glance, asking her to explain her reasoning. "It's the best answer we've got. Mizuki got a slap on the wrist for actively sabotaging two students' taijutsu forms. What with the leniency he got, he's definitely going to try again."

"How would you catch him?" a bearded jonin - this was the Hokage's son, Asuma - asked.

"Entrapment," Yuuhi Kurenai answered. "Make him believe he's getting something, but spring the trap on him when he does get it."

"A chunin would probably see into an obvious trap like that."

"Not if we have an unwitting and unwilling accomplice," Precia said.

NOW everyone's attention was on her.

"Mizuki's not who you want to go after. Compromise the contact, neutralize the inside man. He's not even going to realize that he's cut off," Precia explained.

"So who's the contact?"

Precia put a folder forward.

"Fancy that. Another one of our chickens come home to roost," the Hokage mused after leafing through the file. "Tell me, Precia. What have you and your team set up in light of these circumstances?"

"It was more Ranmaru's idea than mine, sir. He's out there with Kururugi-taicho right now, tracking the leak."

Nodding, the Third Hokage looked over into his crystal ball to see the drama ensuing in the forests just outside Konoha's civilian sector...

"I put a very good team together. Nice work."

Not much time later, three scratchy knocks on the office door, and a Konoha ANBU entered.

"We've just apprehended chunin Touji Mizuki attempting to break into your residence, Hokage-sama."

Another Konoha-nin entered. "Hokage-sama, our operation is a success. We now have a sleeper in Tea Country."

"Well," the old Hokage replied, "now that that's over with, on to the next part of the agenda - genin assignments. Good job, team Kururugi. Just like the old days, huh?"

Precia grinned, and she was sure the rest of her teammates smiled behind her. "Yes... just like the old days."

Tomorrow, her daughter and Naruto would formally begin their lives as ninja of the Leaf.

Despite her apprehension, she could not wait for them to begin making names for themselves.

After all, they have had more than just an Academy education...

Chapter 4 - **END**

* * *

**notes: **

**"WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE GENIN EXAM?"**

You'll just have to wait for Chapter 5. Yes, I am evil. :3

Again, if you're surprised at the change in Precia's demeanor, remember that **Alicia is alive**. Don't forget all the psych sessions with Konoha's premier psychiatrist-by-day/shinobi-by-night.

The old Chapter 5 has the Fate Testarossa interlude - which I'll keep in the upcoming revision - and the whole Academy graduation that ends up kick-starting a lot of the further events.

Anyway, this Naruto timeline has more than a few divergences you'll have to analyze to understand. It's like putting together a puzzle halfway until you realize you've been doing it upside-down.

Naruto is attacked at 6 - this not only gives him his own place, it also pushes back his Ninja Academy application until he is almost 8 years old. This is when all the drama around the attack on Naruto FINALLY dies down - and a big part of this is damage control. A lot of the other Hidden Villages know something is up, but can get no further details. The Third had a lot of help in putting up this information blackout, some of it from unexpected sources...

He starts at the Academy when he is almost 7, discovers the Testarossas a third into his first semester, and will become genin at 12.

Also, try to read between the lines to see that the inconsistencies aren't really inconsistent, a lot of cover stories are put up, and that pieces of the truth can sometimes be located within lies.

By the way, the face they were referring to is the "Wait. WHAT?" expression.

One final thing to consider: Canon Precia is 54 years old by the time of Nanoha's first series.

Oh yeah, the work Precia based her editing of Jiraiya's novel/s is in fact an actual manga: "Itoshi no Kana (My Lovely Ghost Kana)" by Tanaka Yutaka. **READ IT.**

_**Biographies:**_

**Name:** Kururugi Seiryuu

**Rank: **Jonin (ANBU - Sparrow)

**Age: **24 (as of this chapter - he is 20 when Precia joins their team and 27 at the start of Twin Fates)

**Affiliation: **Konohagakure

**Elemental Affinities: **None

**Team Role: **Taijutsu Specialist, Chakra Control, Team Leader

Many ninja would answer "Might Guy" when asked with the question of who created the Konoha Senpu.

They would be wrong.

The prototype of what would become the Konoha Senpu was actually a project Might Guy and Kururugi Seiryuu collaborated on. Konoha's Sublime Green Beast ended up fashioning the technique to his specifications while Seiryuu worked on taking it even further.

In exchange, Might Guy helped Seiryuu in making his own version of the Omote Renge.

As to why it is dead easy to know who's under the Sparrow ANBU mask, it's because there are reports that say Seiryuu can run across walls, ceilings, and even thin air to rush towards his hapless opponents and crush jutsu, weapon, and enemy ninja alike with his patented Chou Konoha Dai-Senpu.

The reason for his bizarre skill set is a high-ranking secret within Konoha's vaults, and related to his origins.

Before he was reinstated into Konoha's forces as a genin, he was found just outside of Konoha with nothing but his skills as a ninja. Some say it was a sealing sequence gone wrong, others say that it was a jutsu that backfired, and still others say that it was a bloodline limit that activated.

All of those theories, of course, have a grain of truth in them...

**Name:** Akiyama Tsumugi

**Rank: **Special Jonin (Medic-nin spec)

**Age: **25 (as of this chapter - she is 21 when Precia joins their team and 28 at the start of Twin Fates)

**Affiliation: **Konohagakure

**Elemental Affinities: **None

**Team Role: **Medic-nin, Chakra Control, Sensor, Genjutsu

The only thing you need to know about her is that she was part of a music group back when she was in the Ninja Academy. That's all.


	5. Dreams and Realities

_disclaimer:_ Naruto is Kishimoto's, Nanoha is Seven Arcs'.

* * *

_For so long, I've always been wondering why I've been alone._

_Now, I have a family._

_Now, I have people who believe in me._

_As I understand why I am ostracized... my resolve to make them see who I truly am will only keep on rising._

_But the more I see, the harder it is to understand how and why these things happen._

_Yet... with my family behind my efforts, I will surely do my best and find meaning to all this._

_Naruto: Arcane Heart will now begin._

* * *

_**Naruto: Arcane Heart**_

**Chapter Five: Dreams and Realities**

* * *

The sun slowly rose over the Village Hidden in the Leaves, bathing it in the early-morning light on this most important day. For those taking the Konoha Ninja Academy graduation test, today was the moment of truth.

Uchiha Sasuke had worked himself into a veritable frenzy just so he could go toe-to-toe with the reigning #1 Rookie and seize what (to his mind at the time) was rightfully his.

If only.

If only... they hadn't banded together like some colored-costumed freaks from weekend morning television... they wouldn't have learned so much and gone so far in their time here.

Heck, he was starting to miss his fan girls now.

Elsewhere, a dark-haired girl greeted the rising sun seated in the middle of their clan's training hall, meditating.

Two blondes were almost thrown out of their sleeping spots - one on her bed, the other from a couch - then hustled to the kitchen for breakfast, then to the bathroom for a quick shower. and nearly shoved out the door towards the Academy, remnants of sleep still lingering in their eyes.

While they pretended to be asleep, their guardian's yelling simply cut through the charade.

Moment of truth, indeed.

* * *

"Your mom can be really scary when she wants to," Uzumaki Naruto said as he and his self-proclaimed "soul sister" Alicia Testarossa were hurrying through the streets of Konoha, making haste towards the Ninja Academy.

"Well, it's our fault for burning the midnight oil, you know."

"Yeah."

"It's not as if we've been put through several circles of hell these last few months, right?"

"Yep... hey, this is our last chance to make genin. But Alicia-nee," Naruto added, "you could have taken the test and passed easily. Why stick around?"

Alicia snorted as they passed a corner. "Three guesses, first two don't count, you have five seconds."

The whiskered blond chuckled darkly. "Bunshin no jutsu."

"Hey, it's not my fault all my Bunshin attempts result in a short-circuit!" Alicia cried out in consternation. "I brought it up with Mugi-sensei a few months ago and she said Mother had the same problem at the time she tried it out."

"Great idea, Alicia-nee," Naruto replied with a little snark in his tone, "that was how Aunt Precia's team found out we've been spying on their training."

"Shush, you. Thanks to what they've been putting us through, we're closer to chunin now than genin, all we need to do is pass this damn test. Now let's get going."

The two of them remained silent as they rushed past the morning market-goers on their way to the Konoha Ninja Academy.

* * *

_"Paging Uzumaki Naruto and Alicia Testarossa. Your guidance counselor requires a word with you."_

"What could Mugi-sensei want now?" the two students being summoned asked in near-unison just as they took their seats in the classroom.

"Maybe it's like that last time you two strong-armed Yakumo-chan to cast a wide-area genjutsu that made it seem like Mugi-sensei was wearing a maid outfit," Inuzuka Kiba jibed, earning him a piercing glare from both blondes.

"Man, if only Yakumo-chan was still here, today'd be a lot more fun. Tenten already graduated ahead of us, now we're left with those two," someone in the back whined.

"What about Hinata-san?" a nondescript Academy student asked towards the voice in the back.

"What about her? Those two blondes tend to speak on her behalf nearly all the time anyway."

Naruto was about to give a cheeky retort when the announcement came again.

_"Paging Uzumaki Naruto and Alicia Testarossa. Your presence in the guidance counselor's office is required immediately."_

"Fine, fine, I'm going," Naruto said, shuffling off the desk and walking over to the door in a picture-perfect impression of Nara Shikamaru's posture. "This business is so troublesome."

"Get a move on already!" Alicia answered as she pushed her "soul brother" out the door in time to the class letting out a laugh at Naruto's skill at imitating his fellow Sentai member. Just before she walked out the door, she turned towards her classmates and gave them a smile and a nod, the two blonds' shenanigans defusing some of their classmates' tension for this very important day.

"Hey hey, onee-chan," Naruto began as soon as they walked out the classroom and through the deserted school hallway en route towards Mugi-sensei's office, "don't you think it's a bit odd?"

"What's odd? The fact that ever since we got high marks in that last test, the end-of-term jutsu exam is always the _Bunshin_?" Alicia asked. "Nope, nothing odd or suspicious about it at all."

"Well, there is that, but there's also the fact that even if you do the Kawarimi and Henge damn near flawlessly, if you flub the Bunshin, you automatically fail, suck, and end up as a disgrace to your ancestors," Naruto answered, a thoroughly disgusted look on his face vanishing as they turned the last corner to see the door of the Konoha Ninja Academy's Guidance Office. "Here we are."

When they walked in, the strangest sight greeted their eyes - instead of merely a cross Mugi-sensei wearing her usual hybrid civilian/ninja outfit, there were four of them all decked out in combat attire: chunin vests, dark blue ninja outfits, weapon pouches fully stocked - the usual standard for Konoha shinobi. There was the guidance counselor, Akiyama Tsumugi; one of several assistant academic and ninjutsu teachers, Musashi Ranmaru; an ANBU with a sparrow mask; and Precia Testarossa.

"About time you two made it," a surprisingly serious Mugi-sensei began. "Precia and I will go alert the Hokage. You guys wait here."

Precia made a small series of hand gestures just before the two kunoichi left the office.

"So," Ranmaru said, "I heard from your mother that you were this close to being late for today."

Both students stiffened.

"Relax," the sparrow ANBU answered, chuckling. "When you become just as awesome as someone like Hatake Kakashi, you can be as fashionably late as you want."

"Sir, is that why none of you seem to be complaining about my fashion?" Naruto asked, while Alicia giggled as if she remembered something.

The ANBU snorted. "Precia explained it to us. A lot of dangerous animals are colored brightly as a warning sign. As long as your bite is better than your bark, who gives a crap about your outfits?"

"Sir?" Naruto asked after he let out a sigh of relief, _that voice sure was familiar, _he thought; "I feel like I know you from somewhere."

"That's Kururugi-sensei, Naruto," Alicia answered. "Didn't you see him a week ago? Where he caught that would-be jutsu thief from Iwa and spin-kicked him in the face so hard he spun several times in the air before crashing down?"

"No, I was out for half a day because of stomach flu at the time," Naruto replied. "But I do remember everything that happened training with Kururugi-sensei."

Both blondes groaned while the two older ninja shared a laugh.

"Those were sparring-level spin kicks," Sparrow answered. "If I had not been holding back, they would have commissioned a genin team to pick up your pieces all over the training ground."

Naruto and Alicia nodded as they remembered the aches and pains that was their last six months of taijutsu training.

_"Taijutsu isn't all about flashy moves, hidden techniques, or even that Five Finger Death Punch in that movie you guys saw over the weekend."_

_"How do we know we're getting better at taijutsu, sensei?"_

_"You don't. You just keep going. As my old sensei once said, self-improvement is a perpetual process. The day you stop trying to improve is the day you renounce my help... anyway, where were we? Do you know who actually designed the Academy taijutsu standard?"_

_Both blondes shook their heads._

_"See, this is where it gets interesting. Our Third Hokage was the one who put it all together - the power of the Strong Fist, the speed of the Intercepting Fist, the grace of the Gentle Fist and several foundations of other martial arts schools, all into one easy-to-learn style."_

_"You've been beating us up with __**Academy-level taijutsu,**__ sensei?" Naruto asked incredulously._

_Seiryuu nodded. "Impressive, isn't it?"_

_"So why are a lot of people disparaging it, sensei?" Alicia asked._

_"Because the Academy level is just the first step - the basics, if you will. As you climb up the ninja ranks, you'll find the Academy taijutsu is a very solid foundation for learning either the Strong Fist, Intercepting Fist, Gentle Fist, other more esoteric styles, making up your own school of fighting, or somewhere in between."_

_"Oh," Naruto said, his face a picture of shocked understanding briefly - and then his expression hardened as his resolve was redoubled. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's keep going!"_

_Seiryuu smiled at the Uzumaki's resilience. "Come at me again, then."_

"...and I just had to laugh when Mugi nearly strung you up with that chakra scalpel."

"Don't remind me... sensei. By the way, she seemed in awe the last time Naruto tried the genjutsu dispelling technique. What was that all about?" Alicia asked.

"Oh, it was nothing. Maybe it had something to do with how Naruto got down tree and water-walking at roughly the same rate you did, Alicia," Ranmaru answered. _Don't want to give Naruto's trump cards away too early, _he thought. _Mugi's gonna want him for some more training after this, to tap into his potential more._

Alicia gave her "soul brother" a glare. "Not my fault I had to actually mold all the elemental chakra out of my system before trying that."

"Your mother had the same problem," Ranmaru said. "Anyway, the Hokage has to get all the matters at hand in order before getting here, so the wait may take a bit longer."

Both students shrugged. "Alicia-nee, how good is our chakra control now anyway?"

Alicia grinned. "We've been run into the ground by Kururugi-sensei and nearly sliced to ribbons by Mugi-sensei, I'm sure we've made at least **some** progress."

Naruto barely hid a wince as he remembered when they finally got the water walking technique down - Mugi-sensei actually went after them, medical chakra-laced kunai shining as she swung at them.

_"Chakra scalpels used in combat aren't new - if this wasn't a training exercise, you wouldn't see it coming. I'm using it with kunai to get you accustomed to it."_

_She brandished the eerily glowing kunai dramatically, and the two blondes swallowed a lump in their throats that suddenly decided to make themselves known. "Now let's see how good your evasion skills are."_

It was probably the only training incident where Uzumaki Naruto screamed like a little girl while both trying to stay afloat with his chakra AND avoiding those sharp and painful implements of doom his sensei generally used...

...but they had to give it to their guidance counselor. Nothing sharpened the focus to keep the continuous and even flow of chakra to the feet for water walking like a dark-haired lunatic charging at you with kunai laced with medical chakra.

It took them a few weeks of this sort of grueling training, but it paid off - by the time Mugi-sensei was done with them, Kururugi-sensei had them sparring on top of the water with the same pace as their sparring sessions on land every chance he could - by now, Naruto and Alicia could spar for at least an hour on top of the water without slipping under at least once.

While they were doing that, Precia had also subscribed the two Academy students to extra academics under her teammate Musashi Ranmaru.

By the time they had gotten to the "Advanced Usage of Basic Jutsu" modules under Ranmaru-sensei, Naruto was on his metaphorical knees and thanking the heavens for giving him Aunt Precia - and for her figuratively beating the value of rote learning into him.

The last time he dozed off in the lecture, one quick and silent replacement had his sensei stick a flash tag on his forehead - Alicia just had to assert her "big sister" rights and bring it up nearly every time for several weeks after the incident.

_"Why are we doing this anyway, sensei?" Naruto asked. "This is the kind of stuff chunin should be doing, not Academy students."_

_"May I remind you of your little experiments, Naruto... Alicia?" Ranmaru asked. "It is true that the two of you managed to get something added to the Hokage's jutsu library through your... extra-curricular studies, but that much talent at your age? You're going to have to earn the right to actually use it."_

_Both children nodded at the sudden solemnity of tone the normally laid-back Academy teacher took._

_"...so that's why our work load is so much higher than the other students?" Alicia asked, raising a hand._

_"Your classmates may be coasting by on simple effort, but both of you have already achieved way more than them, both in academics and in practical learning. It will all pay off when you need it to, so don't worry about it," Ranmaru-sensei said, nodding at her reassuringly. "All right, let's go over the diagrams again. Stress points of Iwa-style fortifications are usually located where...?"_

"Naruto, the Hokage's here," Alicia whispered, getting him wide-eyed and at attention as in a few moments, the white-robed Sandaime strode into the room, flanked by his guardian and guidance counselor.

"All right, team Kururugi. I want to see the progress you've made with our two budding prodigies over here," he began as soon as the doors were locked and the security seals were engaged.

"Hokage-sama," Sparrow said as he removed his mask to reveal the face of the remedial class taijutsu instructor - Kururugi Seiryuu, "as you've read in our reports, we've set up the trap these past months - and we'll be springing it today. Naruto, use that jutsu."

"Yes, sensei." The blond grinned before putting his hands in a cross seal.

_"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."_

Three clones appeared around him, and the Hokage nodded his approval. "Excellent work."

After dispelling his clones, Naruto scratched the back of his head and grinned sheepishly. "Thanks, Hokage-sama."

"Alicia," Precia then said, "have you grounded yourself today?"

She stiffened briefly before shaking her head no.

"Unavoidable. I guess you have to use that other thing," Precia replied, sighing.

"Yes, Mother."

Alicia took a deep breath, then her hands flowed through seals, ending with the familiar cross...

_"Raiton: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"_

Several yellow flashes of lightning heralded the creation of four shadow clones around Alicia, and the Hokage's eyes widened briefly in surprise.

"Impressive. I am this close to confirming your accounts and adding their contribution to the Scroll of Forbidden Seals," the Hokage declared as the two Academy students' eyes brightened - this went above and beyond their goal of performing well in class! "Kururugi, give them their part of the mission briefing."

"Of course, Hokage-sama," Seiryuu answered. "Naruto, Alicia, consider this your first B-rank mission as genin of Konoha. Your tasks are to do the following..."

* * *

The two blondes exited the guidance office hesitantly, and took careful steps back toward the classroom, knowing that now, the game was afoot.

"We gotta act normal," Naruto whispered to his onee-chan.

"Yeah," Alicia replied in the same whisper, "we've got to stick to the plan. Everyone's counting on us."

"You got that right. Come on, the exams will be starting in three minutes."

They hustled towards the classroom and made it to their seats with a moment to spare before their chunin instructors came in and handed them their test papers.

Alicia rolled her eyes as she broke the genjutsu placed on her test paper, and rolled them further as she saw the questions were way above a genin-to-be's league. _Thank goodness I took those classes with Ranmaru-sensei... _she thought as she went through the test questions without missing a beat.

When she finished, she took a covert glance towards her little brother, who gave her a nod. _Yeah, that briefing confirmed what we've been suspecting all along._

After the papers were collected, Iruka-sensei called for a fifteen-minute break before the final test in kunai and shuriken throwing. As soon as the class left for the cafeteria, Alicia Testarossa went to see their chunin instructor.

"Iruka-sensei..." she said, knocking on the faculty office's door.

"Come in," he answered. "What brings you here?"

"Well... with the final test you'll be giving us later, I probably might not pass," Alicia said after she entered the lounge and took several moments to gather herself and put her words together.

"Why not?"

"This is why..." Alicia said as she did the hand signs for the Bunshin no Jutsu. Two poorly-made clones appeared from the smoke and dissipated promptly. "With the jutsu exam in a few hours, I'll probably flunk right out of the Academy. Might as well tell you beforehand, sensei."

"Er..." Iruka said, scratching his head, "you could try to produce another E-rank jutsu for your demonstration later."

"Sensei, I... can't."

"Why not?"

"B-b-b-because of my mother..." she whispered.

"What about your mother?" Iruka asked.

The words said in a dream she had a few years ago easily returned to her.

"Mother is so kind... but if I fail or disappoint her, she might break... again... I've done all I can to get here for myself, but... now, it's different... I'm not just holding my dreams with me, but also Naruto-kun's… and my Mother's…" Alicia said as she began to shiver.

"Alicia, relax," Iruka said, noticing his student's rising panic. "Just do your best and we'll see if you pass the jutsu exam. Think positive. Okay?"

Alicia nodded.

Just outside of his office, another chunin instructor was grinning to himself.

_The great Alicia Testarossa's weakness is finally revealed,_ he thought. _Here I thought I'd use the demon brat to further my plans..._

As a very somber Alicia exited the room, she bumped into Mizuki.

"Oh! Mizuki-sensei... excuse me," she said.

"Still have problems with chakra control?" he asked.

"Yes," she said.

"I know a way for you to easily pass the final exam," he said secretly, laying the bait.

Desperation was all over her face as she asked him her question. "What is it?"

"Here's what you do..." the chunin instructor said, gleeful inside at the ease by which he'd managed to hoodwink the daughter of the great Precia Testarossa...

* * *

**"NO!"** Umino Iruka yelled as the fuuma shuriken thrown by his traitorous colleague buried itself into his student.

Flashes of the times Naruto smiled, tried his best in class, played with his friends in their little team, got into Uchiha Sasuke's face just to get a rise out of him, teased Yakumo, encouraged Lee, Hinata, the others...

_It can't be... no it can't be true!  
_  
"Ha ha! So the little demon fox gets his foxy hide scrapped just for his beloved teacher! This is rich!" Mizuki gloated. "But my apologies for having to run, as I simply have no time to dilly-dally around! See you, chump!"

He picked up the Scroll of Forbidden Seals and dashed deeper into the forest, leaving an aghast Iruka behind.

Meanwhile, the Academy teacher took several disbelieving steps towards the student who took a fuuma in the back for him, the thought that his class' biggest troublemaker was gone still not registering...

...Iruka's hand went forward to touch his brave student, but with a puff of smoke, Naruto's corpse was gone.

A hand went around his mouth before either the fuuma shuriken clattered to the ground or he could scream, and as his eyes went wide, he saw the outline of a sea otter mask and a glowing ANBU tattoo.

"Quiet," a heavily muffled female voice whispered. "Come with us; you need to be debriefed."

Since tonight was simply filled with too much weirdness, the Academy teacher let himself be led back towards Konoha by the ANBU member, ostensibly to find out just what the hell was going on.

Elsewhere, a certain traitorous Academy teacher found out that you should not count your chickens before they hatch the hard way.

"Impossible!" Mizuki yelled in outrage as his newly-stolen Scroll vanished into a cloud of smoke.

He looked around - and upon getting his bearings, made his decision. Cutting his losses was the safest course of action - there were other bolt-holes he could get to. He had nearly cleared the area outside the village walls, all he needed to do was get to his contact to reach safe-

...and that was his last conscious thought for the day as a sparrow-masked ANBU leaped onto Mizuki's instinctive kunai slash and sent him hurtling through the forest with a spinning back kick to the face.

* * *

"What was that?" the cloaked man asked upon hearing the commotion in the forest some distance away.

"My diversion," 'Mizuki' said, handing over the scroll. "Now get on out of here, ANBU's hot on my trail. I'll tell them I fought a bunch of infiltrators off."

"You're not defecting?" he asked.

"Not this time, not while the heat's still way up. It's not easy pickings to get you the Scroll of Seals, you know."

"Very well, then. Keep me posted."

"Of course," Mizuki replied. "How will I contact you next?"

"Tea Country," the cloaked man said as he leaped away via the branches, Scroll of Seals in tow.

When silence had filled the forest outside Konoha, a puff of smoke revealed a blonde boy with whisker marks nearly hyperventilating from the close call he went through.

"Hidden Rain, huh? And Tea Country?" he asked himself, the image of the cloaked man's forehead protector etched into his memory as his breathing gradually slowed down. "The team will like what I have to say."

As he took to the trees, Uzumaki Naruto thus returned to Konoha with his end of the mission accomplished, satisfied at a job well done... and the rank of genin awaiting him and his onee-chan.

* * *

Secrets were one thing the blonde girl hated to keep.

Usually, it was part of her to be completely open and trusting, now that her life was now returning to a semblance of normal.

Training, missions, and time out with her friends.

Well, given her circumstances, and in relation to the people she calls her friends, this is as close to normal as you can get.

However, when she went to THAT place for THAT mission, what an old mystic said upon insisting on telling her fortune greatly disturbed her. Although she didn't realize why at first, there was something about the old mystic's words that shook her to her core.

The old lady told her something about how she dreams of butterflies.

Baffled, she asked her superior officer upon her arrival back home.

The explanation made sense, but in context of what had been happening to her, it only disturbed her more.

"Chuang-tzu once had a dream where he was a butterfly. When he woke up, he thought, was this a dream where Chuang-tzu was a butterfly, or was this a dream where a butterfly was Chuang-tzu?"

She immediately asked for a long-distance solo mission after understanding the explanation.

After all, nobody would believe her when she would say most of her dreams revolve around being a ninja in a faraway place.

Not even her two best friends.

* * *

Alicia Testarossa groaned as she pulled herself from bed. _I'm supposed to be sleeping in after my very first B-rank mission and receiving my forehead protector, but one of those dreams again and I'm up and about._

She sighed as she sat up in her room, the early morning darkness comforting her. Yet, as she gazed into the shadows, the words and faces of her most recent of dreams gathered around her, making themselves known.

_Nanoha._

_Hayate._

_Big brother..._

_Mother..._

Unknown faces, smiling at her, sending her their love... although she knows that her sister Fate is the one they smile at.

Her hands switched on the light, and Alicia took out a pencil and one of her old Academy notebooks.

Turning to a blank page, she methodically sketched the portrait of a girl with caring eyes and black ribbons tying up her two ponytails...

...a short-haired girl wearing a pair of crossed hairpins, her mischievous eyes carrying both joy and sadness...

...a boy who seems a bit too methodical. Like their classmate, Shino...

...a beautiful woman with pale green hair and odd markings on her forehead...

Alicia wiped away a tear after finishing her drawings, and went to where her diary was hidden - after unlocking her secret hideaway, she wrote down what she could remember as of her dream some time ago.

By the time she put the diary away, the sky had begun to lighten...

* * *

_Today I saw my sister for the very first time._

_Her eyes are sad, much sadder than mine._

_Is it because Mother hates her so much?_

_Or is it because Mother sees her failure so much within her that she can't help it?_

_Today we will go to the marketplace with Linith and buy shoes, for Fate has proven to be a fine magician._

_Yes..._

_...even after the dream had ended._

_...I still see._

_The masterpiece Great-Grandmother had crafted as part of her research initiative._

_Her legacy lives on with you, dear sister._

_Treasure Bardiche well._

By the time she closed her daughter's diary, Precia's eyes were rimmed with red. This was not the first time this had happened - and she immediately sent a coded message to the Toad Sage when it did - but it still felt somehow... wrong.

_"Precia, this just means that the seal is working," Jiraiya explained when he had taken a weekend off his book signing tour to check up on Naruto and Alicia, "you yourself said that she's not suffering from mental fatigue any more. I've done some further reading on the matrix I based Alicia's seal on, and it's working properly."_

_"But the dreams she has... what about them?"_

_"They're twin sisters, for all intents and purposes," Jiraiya explained further, "while the seal helps her from avoiding the mental backlash, the bond between twin sisters is too strong for the seal itself. Apparently, said bond extends beyond my capabilities."_

_"So what shall we do? I... I don't want Alicia to know. At least, not yet."_

_"That's your prerogative, ma'am," the Toad Sage said. "Just keep me posted if something unexpected happens, all right?"_

_"Of course, Jiraiya-sama," Precia answered, "I have your scroll."_

_"Damn right you do. See you around," and with a grin and a wave, he was gone._

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto's eyes opened up slowly - and took in the sight of a new day dawning, the sun peeking from the mountains in the distance.

He sat up and remembered - yes, this was the couch at the Testarossas' place.

Come to think of it, he lived here more often these days than at his apartment - using the latter as a storeroom for various odds and things that he'd often want to throw away but feel too much sentimental value towards - old toys, clothes, training weapons, the notes Alicia asked him to write down when they were sneaking looks at Precia-san's training...

...but enough about that! Last night had been the most frightening and exciting day of his life - and his very first mission as a genin of Konoha, too! The Hokage had looked at him with pride, for once. Not for the shenanigans he'd pull with his gang of friends whenever they could, but for actually performing a forbidden jutsu to stand in for the Bunshin that even until now he couldn't do.

Alicia also impressed the Hokage with her lightning-infused variant. Which meant there was a chance they'd be teamed together.

He grinned as he headed over to the bathroom to take care of the morning rituals before heading over to breakfast.

* * *

"Do you know who the rookie of the year will be?" Naruto asked as he and his (soul) sister strolled towards the Ninja Academy for the day's team assignments.

"Not particularly, no," Alicia answered. "Hope I get to team up with you, though."

Naruto grumbled a bit.

"Hey, I'm sorry, Naruto," she continued. "Mother always planned for me to get this when I was old enough to handle the responsibility."

"I know," he said sadly, "it's just that... will I get to have something like what you and Precia-san have?"

"I don't know," Alicia replied, "but anything's possible. Aren't you the one who presumes the best in every situation?"

Naruto nodded.

"Well then, all you'll need to do is think positive and who knows? Maybe you'll have something like Siegfried or Mother's Hrist."

"Yeah... I'll do that."

His smile returned as their walk towards the school continued, and the day began anew, with no trace of the mission the two new genin had completed the night before yesterday...

Chapter 5 - **END**

* * *

**Author's notes:**

1. What was the thing that got added to the Hokage's jutsu library? Read further and find out.

2. Most of Precia's ninja career while Alicia's at the Academy has already been revealed.

3. Precia may have been many (unsavory) things when she snapped, but one thing she is not (then and now) is indiscreet. Note how she quickly adapts to life in a ninja village. I might make a note about how the first thing Precia learned in preparing for living in Konoha was how to think like a kunoichi, which leads me to...

3. Precia did NOT use ANY magic during the appraisal, not even SUPPLEMENTARY magic (which was the biggest reason why – barring her deficiency with taijutsu – the Third did not hesitate to promote her to jonin then and there). And while she may have at least a passing knowledge of the Ancient Velkan school of magic, she didn't have time to acclimate herself to it. Research and then her "Alicia problem" took priority.

4. Precia's restraints on using lethal magic had been removed since her first special jonin mission (and thus for three and a half years, Precia has been frying people without hesitation when it comes down to life-and-death situations - and introducing them to the business end of Hrist).

5. Making Precia and Alicia (and by extension, Naruto) overpowered would remove a lot of challenge from writing the story. Snake bastard? Blow him up. Mist swordsman with trap companion? Blow them up. Insomniac tanuki-jailor? Blow him up. Need to straighten out the Hyuugas? Blow them up. Need to pull the stick out of Uchiha Sasuke's ass? Blow him up. Akatsuki? Blow them up. There are a lot of things Midchilda magic and jutsu can't fix, but for the rest, there's Thunder Zanber Breaker.

...You get the idea.

6. Also remember that Precia is not only adaptable, she's also a fast learner. 4 years of training and missions would make her a capable jonin (but not overpowered).

7. I still need a beta reader for this.

p.s. There are four ways to be promoted to chunin in this universe. The first is to perform well enough in the Chunin Exams. The second is performance - going above and beyond the call of duty in accomplishing a set of missions above one's rank OR consistent performance through missions near one's rank. The third is during wartime and is also related to mission performance. The last one - also called the Sarutobi Hiruzen clause - is if you contribute something to Konoha's jutsu library.

Naruto and Alicia are halfway to chunin already due to the results of their mad-scientist experiments with jutsu making it to the Hokage's library.


	6. Placements and Statements

**BEFORE WE CONTINUE:**

I plan to add a third element to this story, but as to what it will be will only be made plain after the story has settled into a groove, so to speak.

Okay, without further ado, here we go: **All right, Gundam fight! Ready... go!**

_DISCLAIMER:_ Naruto = Kishimoto; Nanoha = Seven Arcs, and this is a work of love (I'm not referring to Ibis Douglas). Also G-Gundam = Sunrise; Team 8 = Viridian; DO THE IMPOSSIBLE, SEE THE INVISIBLE = Studio Gainax; and Need For Speed: Most Wanted = EA Games. Five grand says my boy will... oh, forget it.

* * *

_Even now that I've taken the next big step towards my dreams, I still have a long ways to go._

_Even if you lose your way, if you are unafraid to look to the kindness of others, you will find your way back._

_Naruto: Arcane Heart will now begin._

**_NARUTO: ARCANE HEART_**

**Chapter Six – Placements and Statements**

The first day of being OFFICIAL genin of the Leaf nearly began disastrously – Uzumaki Naruto overslept, and it took Precia Testarossa everything she took not to stick a Photon Lancer up a sensitive spot to wake him up.

Instead, a light application of Raiton jutsu did the trick. Thankfully, Naruto's hair was already spiky, so the usual effect of getting shocked awake wasn't seen.

As the three of them were eating breakfast, Alicia took one look at her mother and wondered aloud, "Mother, why are you wearing your jonin uniform?"

"Because I've been summoned to the Hokage Tower shortly after this..." Precia responded. "I would have made it early, if not for someone..." she added, leveling a half-disappointed / half-joking look at Naruto, who had shifted his gaze to his breakfast cereal and started concentrating on eating at a normal pace.

"Anyway, we've all been taught to adapt, for that is part of our role as shinobi of the Leaf," Precia said as they finished breakfast. "Team assignments will be held at the Academy, right?"

They nodded.

"Very well, you should be going. I will clean up a bit and then head to the Tower for my mission. Tell me all about your teams when you get back, all right?"

They stood from the table and bowed to Precia.

"Go on, you guys will be late. Time management is a basic ninja skill," Precia said, almost shooing them out the door.

When they left, she smiled to herself. _Of course they wouldn't know that a few days back, the Third had summoned me to his office and asked if I would handle a genin team,_ she thought.

She finished cleaning up and, after securing their apartment, left for the Hokage Tower.

* * *

At the Ninja Academy, the Konohagakure Sentai assembled for what would be their last meeting in between genin missions and training.

"What do you think's gonna be happening?" Alicia asked Shikamaru.

"Too troublesome. My father, Chouji's father and Ino's father worked together in a team so it's likely we'll get teamed up, too."

"And you're not worried about that?" Naruto asked.

"Not really, worry is too troublesome either way," Shikamaru answered.

It was then that Kiba appeared, looking rather dusty and flustered from challenging some new blank-eyed genin wearing all black at Naruto's urging.

"He used his ink, I didn't know..." Kiba began.

"Thanks for your insight, Kiba," Naruto replied, cutting the Inuzuka's rant short as he looked appraisingly at the black-clad genin.

"Another '_Ninja-For-Dummies'_ wonder boy come along looking to get schooled?" he asked. "Why don't we save you the hassle and peel that forehead protector off you right now?"

It was more a playful taunt than anything, as Naruto's eyes were twinkling the entire time, and he had directed no killing intent whatsoever.

"Regardless of that..." Haruno Sakura said as she walked into the assembly area of the Academy, "I can see he's skilled." She walked over to the new guy. "You seem cooler than anyone here aside from my Sasuke-kun," she added.

Naruto chuckled.

Alicia winced. _He's really getting into the pranking spirit! _she thought. _And so early in the morning, too!_

"Look, Sakura, I know you're a big fangirl type and all, but put me up against him: drills, strategy, tactics, I would outstrip anything he'd put on the table. You can even bet on it."

"Where's your fangirl money then?" she asked.

The surreal scene was interrupted by their teacher – Umino Iruka – calling them to assemble in one of the classrooms while the teams would be announced.

As the black-clad genin followed the genin rookies into the classroom, he had the strangest feeling that he was either over- or under-analyzing the little skit some of the new genin made for him. Too bad that two of the participants had henge'd themselves into other students, which he should have noticed, but didn't.

* * *

In times of missions and conflict, a ninja usually kept long hours on the field, often taking short naps at specified times throughout the day to maintain the sleep-to-wake ratio as prescribed by the Konoha General Hospital.

But in comparatively peaceful times, normal sleeping habits returned, and they were as hard to adjust as one would a bad habit.

Hatake Kakashi and several of the other jonin-sensei gathered at the Ninja Academy's Faculty Office were night people.

To all but one other jonin-sensei in the room, this was approaching torturous levels as the "Copy Ninja" had just consumed all the available coffee and was now tapping his foot so that his hands wouldn't shake while he was reading his "Icha Icha" novel.

Nearly everyone had thought him weird for his predilection for prurient reading material, but that new jonin – Testarossa – seemed to tolerate it.

It was after a co-op mission with her team and Kakashi that she admitted she liked the "Icha Icha" series too...

...but that she skipped the porn parts and read it for the plot.

Kakashi shrugged then, but hey, different strokes for different folks. _Just take a look at Might Guy and Rock Lee so you'd understand,_ he thought wryly.

At the same time, Precia was (as was her wont) leafing through a short history of Konoha. In true ninja fashion, most of the details and motivations for each of the major players in the story were left for the reader to figure out, and this exercise helped keep her mind sharp.

"Hope you don't mind such accommodations," Iruka had told the four jonin-sensei-to-be before he left and escorted their genin graduates to the classroom where they would wait until their team assignments would be announced.

And as Precia Testarossa and Hatake Kakashi read on, their colleagues waited as their team assignments would be announced.

* * *

And in the classroom, the Konoha Sentai Team had gained several new allies in the persons of Akimichi Chouji and Aburame Shino, by virtue (again) of that Saturday morning show which they all watched during their first year at the Academy.

"So where do you keep your DVDs hidden, Shino?" Naruto asked.

"My clan believes in the power of logic. It would simply not do for them to know that I enjoy a show that has 'kicking reason to the curb' as one of its main themes. I do find it intriguing, though. Upon closer inspection and further watching, it is not as childish as most make it out to be," he said.

"So, long story short, you liked it?" Alicia asked.

"I was greatly entertained," Shino answered, earning a smile from his new friends. "I also cut a hole in the book 'A Systematic Guide to Lupus Erythematosus' that I had mistakenly received as a birthday present to stash the DVD's there."

"My father even watched it with me," Chouji said. "He had cried even more than I did at the end of the eighth episode," he admitted.

Everyone's eyes widened at that fact.

"It was so beautiful that Dad and I had to convince Mom to buy the Limited Edition discs..." Chouji said.

"Well..." everyone else replied, sans Shino, "...we all pre-ordered ours."

Chouji's eyes twinkled as he took out several bags of potato chips.

"A little something to help pass the time?" he asked as he opened one and passed it around.

"Do you have sour cream?" Alicia asked.

* * *

It took almost two hours before the written assignments from the Hokage arrived via an ANBU squad member – who handing the sheet of paper to Iruka before returning to his post in a swirl of leaves – and at that the chunin-sensei made his way to the classroom.

The genin looked expectantly when the door opened as Umino Iruka walked in the room.

"All right, guys," he began, "here are your team assignments."

Everyone was on edge as Iruka carefully read through the list of genin names with their respective jonin-sensei.

He began with: "Team Seven: Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura," he continued, unmindful of Sakura's **"YATTA!"** and Ino's grumbling, "and Inuzuka Kiba. Jonin-sensei is Hatake Kakashi."

"Keep it real," Kiba told his fellow Sentai as he went to sit with Sasuke and Sakura.

Ino was still grumbling as Iruka continued: "Team Eight: Hyuuga Hinata, Aburame Shino..."

"...and Alicia Testarossa. Jonin-sensei is Yuuhi Kurenai."

Alicia pumped her fists and flashed her fellow Konoha Sentai with a V-for-victory sign.

Naruto could only wave at his oneechan. _When am I getting assigned a team?_ he thought as Iruka went into the second half of the assignments. "Team Ten: Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji, and..."

Uzumaki Naruto raised a hand. "Iruka-sensei, you skipped Team Nine."

Iruka smiled. "Team Nine is still complete."

"Oh," Naruto answered. "So that's why."

Iruka nodded as he continued. "Oh, where was I? Right, Team Ten: Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji..."

The two held their breath...

"...and Yamanaka Ino."

Ino and Shikamaru groaned at the same time.

"Jonin-sensei is Sarutobi Asuma."

_I haven't been chosen for a genin team yet_, Naruto thought.

His stomach began doing slow pirouettes as the thought of teaming up with that black-clad genin with the dead eyes started taking form.

"Lastly, Team Eleven: Sai and Uzumaki Naruto."

If there was a way he could generate enough Kage Bunshin to smack their palms against their respective faces in disappointment, Uzumaki Naruto would have.

But all clouds have their silver linings.

"Jonin-sensei: Precia Testarossa."

"That is all. I shall be going to your jonin-sensei for them to meet with you in around five minutes. Take the time to get to know your teammates better," Iruka said as he exited the room.

* * *

As was custom in Konoha, ladies went first. Yuuhi Kurenai took a good look at her students with an appraising stare for a few moments before having them follow her to one of the training grounds.

Precia then entered and had Naruto and Sai move to an adjoining classroom to talk about several things.

Asuma-sensei escorted his students out to get to know them better, while Kakashi had his team meet him on the rooftop of the school.

* * *

When Naruto closed the door for his jonin-sensei, there was a scuffle almost immediately: Sai had drew his paintbrush and drawn a rather large dragon sending it hurtling towards Precia.

The jonin simply forced her lightning-based chakra to flow around her body like a current, dispelling the ink dragon upon contact.

"May I ask why you have acted upon me in complete hostility?" she asked.

"You... you killed Danzou-sama!" Sai said, fury burning in his heretofore-assumed-to-be-dead-by-Naruto eyes, readying himself for another attack...

...only to be stopped by strange yellow circles wrapped around his arms and legs, restricting his movement.

"The **OFFICIAL** report said that a plugged-in water heater fell into his bathtub," Precia replied coldly, her eyes narrowing. "And for argument's sake, even if I did do it, why would you want to take my life in exchange for that... for that... terrorist?"

Sai's eyes widened. No one had ever called Danzou-sama a terrorist to his face before.

"Listen to me, you pea-brained bishounen," Precia began, her voice dropping in tone, "don't you realize just why the Third specifically assigned you to me?"

Sai could only growl in exasperation while Naruto gasped. He'd only seen his guardian in this manner when several drunken villagers tried to kill him.

The mere presence of Precia and all the killer intent she unleashed made most of them run off, another one pinned to the ground, losing control of both his waste disposal faculties as the purple-haired woman glared at him.

Also, the facts were falling into place too fast in Naruto's mind – he'd have to ask either the Hokage or Precia about the implied incident if he found some free time.

"All I know is that Danzou-sama," Precia said, sarcasm dripping over her tone whenever she mentioned the name, "took you in, stripped you of your name and conditioned you to do just about everything in his service. And after his... accident, you got into trouble, got demoted to genin and ended up here, just itching for a chance to strike back at who or whatever had done this to your... precious... Danzou-sama..."

Sai's lack of response was response enough.

"My job here isn't to make you a competent ninja – Danzou already did a good enough job on you in that regard, so props to him..." she continued, "but he did do something that I will try to counteract: he shoved a stick of conformity up your rear end so wide you walk like a crab."

Naruto had to resist chuckling at the remark. Sai only grew angrier.

"You won't understand why right now, but **MY** job is to take that stick out of your ass and beat you over the head with it until you become a person again."

Sai's eyes widened.

Precia produced a staff from roughly out of nowhere.

"Naruto," she said. "This will take awhile. Why not continue your training by yourself for now? If you meet up with the other teams, ask their jonin-sensei if you could tag along for some time, I'll be with you shortly."

"Yes, Au-"

"It's 'yes, Precia-sensei' now," she clarified.

Naruto gulped. "Yes, Precia-sensei," he said as he went out the door and closed it behind him.

"Do you know what I feel for you right now?" Precia asked as she walked towards the genin in black.

"What? Contempt?" Sai asked.

"Pity," Precia asked. "I don't know if you know just how dead you already are."

"Dead? My only goal is to avenge-"

"And when you do, what next? Follow the extremist directives of a deceased war-monger?" Precia asked. "Your Danzou-sama didn't give you a life, he took it away from you."

Sai's train of thought went another tack. "Why would you want to give me my life back? Everything was fine while I was at Root."

"As effective the Root was," Precia said, "there was one part of it that goes against a ground rule all shinobi must follow."

"To follow orders without question?" Sai asked. He didn't want to focus on revenge at the moment, the intellectual maze Precia was dragging him through was now beginning to intrigue him.

"No, that's not it. Danzou-sama has systematically and effectively removed your best weapon from you," Precia responded. "That is perhaps the biggest reason why I took this duty from the Hokage."

"What did he take away from me?"

"You took a few semesters at the Academy here, right?" Precia asked.

Sai nodded. "What do lessons that don't mean anything in real life have to do with me now?"

"Try to remember," Precia said.

Sai put a hand to his chin, trying to think, only to realize that the strange bindings were already dispelled. He looked up at his jonin-sensei and saw that her quiet fury was now replaced by a neutral smile.

"The greatest weapon a ninja has..." he began.

"Go on..." Precia said.

"...is his mind."

"Precisely."

"What does that have to do with Danzou-sama? He didn't take away my mind."

"But he did take away your independence, imagination and many other things that ninjas also need in equal rank. Skill and jutsu are fine, but if you don't have the intangibles to be able to look 'underneath the underneath', you're no better than a tool."

"A... tool?" Sai asked.

"Yes, and I hope I can train you away from that system of thought. Right now, I'm not asking you to abandon Danzou-sama's ideal, but put what he said and what he did in their proper places."

"Proper places..."

"That's my nindo," Precia said. "Everything in this world has a purpose and place, even those things we don't know or yet understand."

Sai nodded slowly.

"Come on, we'll break for a light lunch then I'll appraise your other skills," Precia said.

_"Everything in this world has a purpose and place, even things we don't yet know or understand"..._ Sai thought. _Maybe if I stick with this, I'll understand why this had to happen to Danzou-sama._

The two of them met Naruto at Ichiraku's Ramen.

"Precia-sensei! Sai! Come on!" Naruto called out. "I saved seats for you guys."

They approached the blonde kid – already on his third bowl of beef ramen.

"It's too early to be celebrating, Naruto," Precia said.

"I know, but I've been doing a little training on my own. Watch," he said as a triangular formation appeared around his hand, and after pointing his hand skyward, a red bolt of energy flew towards the sky, dissipating after several hundred feet in the air.

Precia could only respond by gaping.

"Don't you know you're treading a very fine line there?" she asked. _And the triangular symbols too... how would he know about the Ancient Velkan techniques?_

"I know..." he answered. "It's a tracer. I read a few of your notes."

She only laughed. _That explains a lot._

"I was trying to see if we could bypass your unique handicap, but it seems you've done well on your own time," she said. "Sai, meet your teammate Uzumaki Naruto."

Sai bowed before taking a seat.

Naruto scarfed a mouthful of noodles and swallowed. "My apologies, but ramen is best enjoyed while hot. Please do not interpret this as a lapse in decorum. It is an honor to be your teammate."

"Likewise, I'm sure," Sai replied. _This wasn't the noisy prankster I saw in the Root reports, _he thought. "Does this place serve good ramen?"

"Oh, you'd best believe that," Naruto replied. "Precia-sensei here has been asking me to cut down on it – and I have – but I just can't resist!"

"All right," Sai replied as he ordered a pork ramen for himself.

"Well, we can start with the assessment after this, so for now, dig in," Precia said as she made an order for miso ramen.

* * *

At the 21st Training Ground, Precia had Naruto and Sai spar as a test of their abilities.

She immediately saw that Sai had a greater advantage when it came to stances and attacks, as he was picking off points when the blonde kid made mistakes.

Naruto's taijutsu was very good when you considered basic taijutsu moves and stances. But up against someone from the Root ANBU – even if he was around Naruto's age – it was a different thing altogether.

_Reminds me of my training with Might Guy,_ she thought.

* * *

All in all, the first day of Team Eleven was a relative success. Sai was intrigued enough by the jonin with the strange name, even stranger nindo and sad eyes to put off his avenging Danzou-sama for the time being, and was handed a set of exercises by the same purple-haired jonin-sensei (the same ones she used on Naruto and Alicia) to work on his chakra capacity and control.

Precia had Naruto working on more chakra control exercises, and noticed that he had some trouble with it. _I need someone to be able to see in detail his problems,_ she thought.

She resolved to go to the Hyuuga Estates and have a little chat with Hyuuga Hiashi on this matter – it was better than going behind his back, now that he had finally acknowledged Hinata as the heir (though her refusal to hurt her sister Hanabi was a rather tricky issue they were currently trying to address).

* * *

They were on the way home when Precia remembered something.

"By the way, Sai, tell us about your habits, likes, dislikes and dreams for the future," Precia said. "Then we'll tell you ours."

Sai nodded politely and began, "my favorite thing to do is draw landscapes; I like reading about ninja strategy and tactics, and I dislike loud noises. My dream for the future is to see Konoha prosper, and for me to illustrate a book in the 'Icha Icha' series."

"Well, that's pretty good," Precia said. "As you know, my name is Precia Testarossa. My favorite things to do are cooking and cleaning. I like senseless action movies and research; and I pity people who have lost their life's story. My dream is to see my children and grandchildren grow up into accomplished people."

"Why, Precia-sensei? How old are you?"

"It's a ninja secret," Precia answered.

"As for me," Naruto said, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. My hobbies are playing practical jokes, pranks, and watching DVD's when I have a free day. I like ramen; I dislike waiting for 3-minute ramen; and my dream is to make 1-minute instant ramen and to be the best Hokage... ever."

"...By the way, Precia-sensei is 32 years old," he added, earning a knock on the head from his guardian in the process.

"Why, you..." she said.

"I was only guessing," he replied, and Sai laughed.

They looked at each other and then a trail of laughter was blazed along the streets of Konoha on a late afternoon as Team 11 finished their first day together.

_Progress is being made,_ Precia thought.

* * *

After seeing Sai off to his apartment, Precia Testarossa unpinned her hair, letting the dark purple flow down her back.

"Come on, Naruto, let's go home," she said. "I can't wait to see how your oneechan fared."

"Okay, Precia-sensei," he answered.

"When we get home, return to Aunt Precia," she said kindly.

"O-of course," Naruto answered. "This etiquette thing is more difficult than chakra control."

"True," his guardian replied, "but you get used to it the more you do it."

As they walked home, Naruto understood that his Aunt Precia taking the pins off her hair meant that she had gone from being his jonin-sensei back to being his guardian.

He deduced that his Aunt Precia still had a few kinks to iron out, so to speak, between being a teacher, being a jonin, and being a guardian.

_My Aunt Precia's the best aunt someone can have,_ he thought. _She's been doing a super job, and it will only get better in time._

* * *

On the way home, they ran into Alicia, who had a lot of stories to tell about their team assessment exercise under Yuuhi Kurenai.

"What did you guys do?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing, we just showed off our specialties," Alicia said. "And I activated Knight Mode for the first time."

"Knight Mode?" Precia asked. "You used Siegfried so soon?"

"Yeah. The Barrier Jacket I used was just like my kunoichi uniform with a longer coat. After that I sparred with Kurenai-sensei with Siegfried in Spellblade Mode, while Hinata and Shino sparred."

"How were they?" Naruto asked. "Were they any good?"

"Hinata kicked my ass, even if my Barrier Jacket was online at the time..." Alicia admitted. "I'll need to train even harder so I can break even with her... Shino was also very good in taijutsu. Sigh..." she added, "so much for being #3."

"Well, Alicia dear, school rankings usually don't correlate to real-life performance," Precia explained. "You of all people should realize that when you train."

"But how will I get better at using Knight Mode, Mother?" Alicia asked.

"I'll have some exercises made for you," she replied. "Now let's get home, it's already getting dark."

* * *

Over dinner, Alicia asked her mother another question: "Wait, you said when you had a mission, you didn't mean becoming a jonin-sensei!"

"And you two didn't bother to figure out what my mission was..." Precia replied. "That's part of why I'm the jonin-sensei and you're the genin. Don't you worry, we'll be teaching you these things as we go along. Regardless... you've done your best so far, and I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Mom," Alicia said. "But I still have a ways to go."

"Me too," Naruto said. "That Sai guy kicked the crap out of me this afternoon. He's a little off, but I think he'll make a good teammate."

"Yeah," Alicia said. "He doesn't look like he's a fresh rookie though."

"That's because he isn't," Precia replied. "He's been demoted and assigned to a team because he spent too much time at ANBU."

"Spending that much time at ANBU rots your soul?" Alicia and Naruto asked.

"In a way, yes," Precia replied. "No matter what happens, even if you end up in ANBU, never forget who you are. Am I understood?"

"Yes!" the two genin replied.

* * *

Hyuuga Hinata, after her placement in the Rookie #1, knew better than to rest on her laurels.

She knew that despite her father's acknowledgment of her, there was still one obstacle to get over before she would have the approval she desired.

Her cousin Neji.

Whereas before she had thought of becoming even with Neji, but at the sparring session, upon seeing Alicia activate Siegfried's Spell Knight mode, something else burned within her.

She needed to surpass her cousin.

Before she slept, she knew that tomorrow would be one day closer until their destined meeting.

Until then, she would do her best to prepare for it.

* * *

And thus the night came over the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Tomorrow was the true start of the Rookie 10's career as genin of the Leaf.

What would tomorrow bring?

Chapter Six – **END**

**A LITTLE SOMETHING – SOMETHING FROM THE AUTHOR:**

Yay, the team assignments had finished even faster than I thought! Good news is that not many drastic changes were made. The bad news is that I took more than a passing influence from what could (arguably) be the best Naruto fic around – Team 8 (yes, the reversible outfits Naruto and Alicia will be wearing came from that fic).

From now, going further, you'll start to see how "going beyond the impossible" will affect the Konoha Sentai, their teammates, and their new friends.

Precia has been developing a reputation, hasn't she? I think I'll leave it to your imagination just how our favorite purple-haired researcher-mage-jonin-sensei managed to pull it off. And yes, she still has her ability to break a person down completely just by several candid statements – only now, she's using it in the service of Konoha rather than to, say, a girl who looked like Alicia.

Please rate and review, as I will only grow better the further this goes along.

By the way, there are cookies to be given away at all the random references I've scattered across this story, too. Try to spot them all.


	7. Chores and Choices

_The facts are these:_ Naruto is, for all intents and purposes, owned by Kishimoto Masashi. Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha is owned by Seven Arcs.

And this is a pure labor of love. ^^

Most of Kiba's catch phrases belong to Studio Gainax.

**_NARUTO: ARCANE HEART_**

**Chapter Seven – Chores and Choices**

Konohagakure genin teams usually worked six-day weeks, with rotating free days. It was a masterwork of scheduling done by the Village Council and approved by the Hokage. And that was actually one of the few wholly productive things the Village Council enacted.

Not that anyone was complaining, least of all Danzou, who was found in his bathtub electrocuted to death a year ago. Investigations were made, suspicions were thrown around, and there was a publicized inquiry as to the role of certain shinobi and kunoichi in the crime.

No headway was made, of course, because by the time the investigation had run its course, most of the Root division were debriefed and brought back to the fold of Konoha-nin.

Some were still suspicious that these former Root ANBU were still ideological followers of the Third Hokage's adviser and former rival for power, but in due time, these suspicions largely died out.

After the investigation, the Third Hokage instituted an Internal Affairs Department, a regiment of Konoha-nin that took the place of Root in the village hierarchy. Instead of being isolated by clan membership (as another department had been), it was open to all Konoha-nin who had qualified for its rather harsh requirements – the first batch of jonin and special jonin to join these ranks were Morino Ibiki, Mitarashi Anko, and Precia Testarossa, among others.

Precia had tendered her resignation from Konoha's IAD upon receiving her duties as jonin-sensei for the new Team 11 from the Third Hokage himself.

All in all, the whole ugly business was conducted swiftly and thoroughly, what with most of the Root ANBU (at least those who didn't go ahead and off themselves in despair after Danzou-sama's untimely death) being reverse-indoctrinated in their beliefs and slowly but surely eased back into the shinobi world.

It had all the earmarks of a masterful political stroke made by the Hokage to minimize the cloak-and-dagger machinations of some of the village elders. He then released some of the more sensitive files in the village's information network as a move for more openness between clans and elders regarding certain village policies.

Precia Testarossa had to bite back a laugh after reading the latest issue of the village newspaper (another post-Danzou innovation). Most of the clan heads had either dropped the proverbial cards in their sleeves and gone with the Hokage's intentions, or were allowed to retire and cede their power to their more open-minded heirs, their political clout drastically reduced by these landmark changes in policy.

It took some of the new clan heads to get used to this atmosphere of openness, and indeed, most of them had a hard time at first. But as time wore on, everyone had gotten used to it, and thus the veiled hostility between clans had all but died out.

This change had also brought about a relative shift in attitudes towards certain people of the village – one Uzumaki Naruto, for example.

The people of the village were no longer glaring heatedly at him and his guardian after these events. Though his identity as the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's jailor had not been revealed, the villagers were able to take the hint. The Hokage would reveal this S-class secret in due time, along with another one that would have the villagers going mad from the revelation – if they had not suspected it yet.

It was in this climate that the Rookie 11 had become genin: while many (especially certain prominent personalities from Kiri, Kumo and Iwa) thought that this open-handed diplomacy detracted from the strength of a Hidden Village, Precia knew otherwise.

The reason why Konoha had disclosed several of their small secrets was to make room for even bigger ones.

It was this sobering thought that went through her head as she started to make breakfast early that morning.

_Now that Alicia's beginning to use Knight Mode, _she thought, _I wonder how long will it take for everyone else to take notice?_

* * *

Breakfast was a silent affair as Precia, Alicia, and Naruto readied themselves for their first actual day as part of a genin team. After final checking and double-checking of their equipment, they went towards their usual meeting place; Alicia's team near the Hokage's Tower and Precia's team at Ichiraku's.

"Good morning," the black-clad former Root ANBU Sai said upon his teammates' arrival at their prescribed meeting place.

"Good morning, Sai," Precia said. "Have you slept well?"

"Not as well as I'd have liked," he admitted.

"Since I've already gone and taught Naruto here about certain things which make a genin team tick, and skill-wise you're chunin and already approaching jonin level, why don't we head to the Tower for our first mission?"

Sai nodded. "Yes, sensei. I have had my breakfast ahead of time. Is this acceptable?"

"Sai," Precia answered, "you don't need to ask for my approval on everything you do... just most of it."

"How would I know what is correct? I have had little... to no experience with life as a genin," Sai answered.

"Ninjas adapt," Naruto said. "It's part of what we are."

"Well said. Now, let us be going," Precia said.

* * *

At the Hokage's office, Team Precia and Team Kurenai had finished their preliminary reports on their team chemistry during their first day together: Alicia, while extremely powerful and both a close-combat and area-of-effect ninjutsu specialist, needed help with her leadership skills AND more refinement in her kenjutsu, genjutsu and taijutsu; Hinata was driven but needed one final push to unlock her hidden potential; and Shino was, well, Shino. He'd also passed under the radar in the Academy, and with that disclosure, the true team training exercises would begin.

Kurenai also noted that Alicia shared Naruto's favorite jutsu: the Kage Bunshin – the difference was that Alicia preferred using the Raiton variation (despite being proficient at both). She also narrated what had happened with Alicia's Raiton Kage Bunshin and Shino's bugs – although Alicia had honestly apologized, Shino played a prank on her when she said something about "bug-zapping".

The end result was that Team Kurenai was closer-knit than most other teams already, and they were given a simple D-rank mission revolving around helping rebuild part of an apartment building that had collapsed due to consecutive fire damage.

Precia gave her report in private to the Hokage – after all, she had the most important task yet: one of the Root ANBU was a young jonin-to-be named Sai who was taken in when he was very young and molded into Danzou's ideal of what the shinobi should be given form.

In short, she had a long way to go in removing the dehumanization process from the boy, but it had started on a good (and hopeful) note.

The Hokage handed her their first D-rank mission: helping repair the village wall.

After receiving a "good luck" from the Hokage, Precia Testarossa was dismissed – she left in a crackle of electricity.

* * *

Precia would have been lying to herself if the reason behind her trying to help Sai was purely utilitarian.

After all, when she was given the task by the Third, and saw the notes regarding the way Danzou had raised his Root ANBU, she was under no illusion that this was a to-the-letter copy of the way she had treated Fate.

She looked at where both Naruto and Sai were waiting, and suppressed a sigh. _Though ninjas shouldn't have consciences, _she thought, _I should at least TRY to undo the damage that Danzou has done – even if this child is probably the only one I can do so with._

Naruto waved at his guardian – jonin-sensei now, he corrected himself – as she walked over towards a waiting area that looked more like a park.

"Well, I have today's mission in my hands," she declared. "When we're done, we'll continue our group training."

"Yes, Precia-sensei," both genin said.

* * *

If there was something that had bothered Alicia greatly today, it wasn't the fact that she wasn't teamed up with Naruto.

The dreams were becoming more and more detailed.

Day before last, she thought she was having a nightmare when she awoke holding nothing. That dream had been all too real, with the brown-haired girl making herself into a comfortable pillow for her to embrace-

She stopped these thoughts abruptly. Dwelling on these would only reduce her capacity as a kunoichi.

* * *

Although Aburame Shino knew something was up, he could not put his finger on it exactly. He had asked Hinata – after all, the Hyuuga heiress had known the younger Testarossa longer than he did – but even Hinata did not know what was bothering the blonde kunoichi.

After a moment of group thought, they did the reasonable thing and went to their jonin-sensei to ask about it.

* * *

"You haven't been yourself today," Kurenai told Alicia as they were clearing away rubble from the apartment wing that had burned down. While at first glance this seemed a task that was nearly impossible to complete in so short a time, Alicia merely used Kage Bunshin to help with the lifting work.

While the Kage Bunshin were exuberant in clearing away the burned wood, scorched concrete and overbent foundations, the real Alicia was still rather lost in thought as she analyzed a half-standing wall for defects and brought it down with one kick.

"I know, Sensei..." Alicia answered with a sad smile. "Sensei..." she asked, but before she could continue, her voice trailed off into a whisper.

"What was that, Alicia?" Kurenai asked.

"I know it's strange and people might think I'm crazy, but..." Alicia said, "I'm afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Kurenai asked again.

"If I kept waking up in different times and in different places... could I wake up as a different person?" Alicia asked.

"Now why would someone who just turned thirteen ask that kind of question? Alicia, what's been bothering you?"

"My dreams..." Alicia answered. "I've been dreaming more and more that I'm turning into my sister Fate..."

"What exactly do you mean?" Kurenai asked.

"Well, when I'm asleep, I dream about seeing the world through her eyes. I... when I am in a dream, I see Fate going to school, practicing her moves, with her friends... and sensei... it's happening more and more frequently these days... I'm afraid that one of these days, I won't wake up... and I'll be nothing more than something that sees the world through my sister's eyes..."

She turned and shattered a ruined wall with one punch at that.

"I haven't told Mother because we had this big fight when she told me about my sister... and if I tell her this now, she might... she might..."

Kurenai's eyes widened as the confession came tumbling out of her student. What was she so afraid of?

"Alicia..." Kurenai said. "I don't know the details exactly, but maybe you should get yourself checked up. I've heard of a genjutsu that is just as powerful as the dreams you have been having. You might be under such a spell."

Alicia nodded slowly. Outside, the clearing was almost done.

"I remember that your mother had given you a piece of advice before meeting me... you told it to me, right?" Kurenai asked, earning a nod from her student.

"No matter what happens, I should never forget who I am," Alicia answered.

"That's right. I'll see if I can have a specialist of sorts check up on you."

"Thanks, Kurenai-sensei," was all Alicia could answer.

* * *

Meanwhile, Team 7 had gone off to a very rocky start. After their jonin-sensei was late by around two hours in meeting them, he told them about their final test to go through.

Everything after that had been shot to hell, or so they say.

Inuzuka Kiba had been struggling in vain so far getting his two teammates to work together, and they paid the inevitable price. When Sasuke got caught in that Earth jutsu trap (after thinking he could actually go toe-to-toe with someone like Kakashi), Sakura tried to free him, only to fall into a genjutsu.

Minutes later, Kiba was under cover, hiding in a bush from the famous Copy-Nin as he readied his approach towards assisting his tied-up teammates.

After a successful Jujin Bunshin that had the Copy-Nin chasing after Akamaru, Kiba quickly broke cover and ran out towards his teammates. He had gone through half of Sasuke's bonds when he felt something poke his rear.

Then all went white as only the sound of "Konohagakure Hiden: Taijutsi no Ougi – **SENNEN GOROSHI!**" was all Kiba heard as the shock of the... um... insertion caused him to black out.

* * *

The Inuzuka came to tied up, just like his teammates, and could only glare at his jonin-sensei. To make matters worse, a sleeping Akamaru was perched on top of his forehead.

"Nice try, Kiba. E for Effort," Hatake Kakashi said as he produced two packed lunches and loosened the two genin's bonds - except Sakura's.

"I'll be at the bookstore buying 'Icha Icha Anthology' and then lunch. This afternoon, you're free to try and take the bells from me. Oh yeah," he said before walking out of earshot, "if you guys feed Sakura, I'll fail **ALL** of you."

Kiba and Sasuke just gaped at the image of their jonin-sensei walking away with the 'Icha Icha' book in his hand.

* * *

"Just wanted to say 'sorry' for failing you two," Kiba said as he opened one of the packed lunches. _Oh great, _he thought, _it's just tuna fish and rice hastily made. Sensei needs a girlfriend._

The last of the Uchiha (still within Konoha) opened the other. "You were so confident that he wouldn't catch you trying that ploy," he thoughtfully said. "Corned beef...? Anyway, what made you think that would work?"

"Who the hell do you think I am?" Kiba said, finally glad to be using that catch phrase from four years ago. "Anyway, we'd have a better chance of scoring the bells if you didn't charge in right from the start. You'd probably have a slightly better chance yelling '**LEEROY JENKINS!**' before doing that."

"Who died and made you our tactician?" Sakura asked, still tied to the training post.

"It's obvious, Sakura," Kiba answered. "Kakashi-sensei's a jonin – from the start his plan was to pick us off one by one."

"Damn, my ass still itches," he added, rubbing the affected part. "Want my share?" Kiba said, handing over his lunch to Sakura with the OTHER hand. As much of a canine his friends said he was, he still knew how to behave around the opposite gender – if it wasn't his mother, his oneechan usually beat it into him (even if the latter wasn't exactly the best or worst person to learn decorum from).

"Kakashi-sensei said..." Sakura began.

"Look," Kiba replied. "You WILL eat half of mine, I'll break you outta there, and we'll go for the bells when Kakashi-sensei returns. He's probably by the bookstore falling in line. It IS launch day, after all."

"You did your homework," Sasuke remarked.

"Of course! Who the hell do you think I am?" Kiba shot back. "And give Sakura a third of YOUR lunch, too. I'll go untie her."

"Who made you alpha dog around here anyway, Inuzuka?" Sasuke asked, irritated.

"I'm not the alpha dog, YOU are..." Kiba replied as he finished untying Sakura, "but you're not doing what an alpha dog should be doing."

"Such as?"

"Getting lai-" Kiba's reply was cut short as Sakura knocked him to the ground in one blow to the top of the head.

"Pervert!" she exclaimed.

Kiba silently cursed his Freudian slip. "I meant that YOUR Sasuke is this team's leader, but he's not actually leading," he said towards Sakura as he got up.

"EXCUSE ME?" Sasuke asked. "I didn't ASK to lead you, as you'd just be in my way!"

"We might, but Sakura and I... we believe in you," Kiba answered. "Believe in us who believe in you!" _Yes! Catch phrase spouting time! _Kiba happily thought.

Sasuke decided to humor the Inuzuka. "Fine... I'll sort a plan out while you two finish up with lunch."

* * *

That afternoon had been no better: despite going after the bells in rather good – but makeshift – synchronization (in Kakashi's expert opinion), Team 7 had failed to take the bells from their jonin-sensei, leading to Sasuke being subjected to the same humiliation Kiba had to get through earlier in the day.

As much as Kiba wanted this to happen to the uptight Uchiha, he still had to wince when he saw Kakashi-sensei's fingers go up to the knuckle where the sun don't shine.

As they were (again) tied up to the training posts, Kakashi sighed. "You didn't follow instructions. You gave Sakura part of your lunch."

"Yeah, so what?" Kiba asked, rather defiant.

"'Those who follow orders are trash'," Kakashi said, causing the Inuzuka boy to freeze in apprehension. _Did I just screw up for my team?_ the canine genin thought.

"...'but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash'. Your teamwork still needs some polishing. Meet me here tomorrow, same time," Kakashi finished, his eye twinkling.

* * *

The walk from the training grounds had Kiba spouting catch phrases all the way back to the village proper.

_What a child, _Sakura thought. _Already a genin and he still blathers on about that children's show._

_He did have some good ideas, but this isn't getting me anywhere, _Sasuke thought. _I need power... quickly. And maybe some ice cream._

_We passed the test, and it's mission time tomorrow, _Kiba thought. _Life's peachy so far, except my ass still itches._

* * *

**"WHAT?"** thundered Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, upon receiving Yamanaka Inoichi's report.

"There's no mistake – our medic-nin teams **QUADRUPLE**-checked," the Konoha-nin answered.

The Third silently mouthed a curse and motioned his hand. At the signal, several ANBU operatives appeared.

"I need Precia Testarossa to report here as soon as her duties with her team are over."

"As you command, Hokage-sama," they said as they vanished in a swirl of leaves.

Sarutobi opened a drawer and took out a bottle of aspirin and gulped down two – without water.

"With all due respect, what shall you do upon meeting her, Hokage-sama?" Inoichi asked.

"I... honestly don't know..." the Hokage answered.

* * *

As the day wound to a close, Precia and her children were on the way home when several ANBU suddenly showed up.

"Precia Testarossa, the Hokage requires your presence."

She looked over at Alicia and Naruto.

"If I take too long, there are microwaveables on the refrigerator," she said, smiling.

"Let's go," and the three disappeared with swirls of wind and electricity.

Alicia and Naruto shrugged and made their way towards home.

She had hidden the fact that most of her afternoon was spent with the Konoha medic-nin running several tests on her, and Yamanaka Inoichi taking a look into the corners of her mind.

As she watched her little brother walk home, Alicia could not help but sigh in apprehension and sorrow at this development.

_I've seen my sister and Mother._

_I've seen her._

_She's my mother but..._

_This isn't right._

**_NONE OF THIS IS RIGHT._**

**_EVEN IF IT WAS FOR ME._**

It was those memories that had spurred her towards that big fight with Precia two years ago upon learning the truth about Fate – she had not told her mother that she also had some of Fate's memories.

"Alicia! Hey! Oneechan!" Naruto called out – he had left her behind. Returning to her, he saw that his oneechan's eyes were rimmed with tears. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing... just some bad memories. Let's go home, Naruto."

Chapter Seven – **END**

**Author's Notes:**

Holy smoke, the plot thickens! Foreshadowing galore, and Kiba is starting to rival The People's Champion with all his catch-phrase spouting (he WILL only grow worse as the story goes, believe it).

And yes, I understand the rule that "no good deed goes unpunished". The Third will end up paying for this, and it won't be in a good way. How? That's the part where you wait for the next chapters to see how this all goes down.

I've already conceptualized how this story will end. The journey towards it will be the challenge for you, dear readers, and for me.

**PLEASE REVIEW THIS STORY!** I don't know if I'm doing a good / meh / or terrible job so far.

Unless you want me to hold this fic hostage per X number of reviews, and I'm usually too nice a guy for that.

Usually.


	8. Missions and Mindscapes

_DISCLAIMER: _Naruto = Kishimoto; Nanoha = Seven Arcs; that show nearly everyone in this story (especially Kiba) quotes but I adamantly refuse to write down its title = Studio Gainax.

* * *

_Everything felt like it happened a lifetime ago. What I wanted was my family. What I received was a second chance._

_Even if this is the price I have to pay, I will gladly pay it, for I know by now what I have done, and I know that all I can do right now is pay it forward.  
_

_Naruto: Arcane Heart will now begin._

_

* * *

_**_NARUTO: ARCANE HEART_**

**Chapter Eight – Missions and Mindscapes**

Right now, it looked like the Third Hokage was going to have a stroke.

Or a heart attack.

Or something.

Whatever it was, he didn't look like the usual "benign old man" facade that he had liked to show as of late. He was a grandfather now, and tried to make up his past mistakes by trying to pass on his wisdom to the younger generation.

The 'passing on of wisdom' was a success. The 'make up his past mistakes', not so much.

Precia Testarossa was standing before him as he had called this urgent meeting into order. Unlike before, he wasn't alone – two ANBU were at each of his sides, and a neutral-looking middle-aged man (as neutral as Ranmaru-kun, if that is to be believed) sat on one of the chairs in the corner table, looking through a series of reports.

"Shall today's interview be secured, Hokage-sama?" she asked, breaking the ice.

He wanted to glare holes through the woman, but all he could do was soften his harsh glare for awhile as the silencing seal rippled through the Hokage's office.

"I don't mean to waste any time – yours or mine's," the Hokage said. "The ninja you see reading has clan techniques that make them very useful living lie detectors and his presence is required in meetings such as this. Now then, let us begin," he continued, flashing Precia a gaze that was positively arctic. "Alicia has been having nightmares, hasn't she?"

Precia's eyes widened. "She told me they had stopped some time ago," she answered.

"That's not true. Do you know why that is?" the Third asked.

"Her sister Fate is alive and well somewhere," Precia admitted.

"Technically, Fate is not Alicia's sister. Our medic-nins saw ample evidence that Alicia has been cloned."

Precia gaped. "How did-" she said as she stopped and assessed the situation. "The dreams. She told me she sometimes dreams that she sees the world through Fate's eyes."

"She is thus fearful of losing her identity. You, on the other hand, should have been the one to do something about it, to comfort or perhaps explain this to her."

"I-I-I had not been informed." _Why could my daughter hide this from me... for so long? If she says she sees what Fate sees, then..._

Precia Testarossa slowly went as pale as a sheet as the realization dawned on her. The thoughts that had clung to her psyche as doubts to batter at her resolve for a new life here in Konoha began surfacing. The implanting of fake memories. The culturing. The training.

And the penalties for failure.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had predicted that his jonin would be outraged, indignant, outright deny the whole thing, attempt to pull out a random reason for her actions or any other stock response.

Her reaction was something that had blind-sided him completely, but he still had a job to do – the degree of resemblance between her and his former student's handiwork was just too uncanny to ignore.

He let the purple-haired kunoichi take a few moments to compose herself. She closed her eyes slowly, and when she opened them, there were tears at the corners, but she still maintained control.

"What concerns me isn't Alicia's dreams – I'll call in a few old favors and have a memory seal placed on her, so you don't need to worry about your daughter. What does, though..." he continued, "is the fact that you had managed to clone a complete human being with 100% accuracy. Do you know someone named Orochimaru?"

Precia knew, but all what she read were from secondhand accounts. "One of the legendary Sannin, uses snake summons, wields the Kusanagi sword, your former student, probably has vitiligo. And that's all I know."

The Third nodded twice, and before Precia knew it, she fell to the floor unconscious, the mind-entering jutsu successfully activated.

* * *

Through his history of diving into people's hearts and minds, Yamanaka Inoichi saw a lot of things.

He had, however, seen absolutely nothing like the spectacle of thought and feeling given form he was sorting through now.

There were arcane symbols reminiscent of fuinjutsu, only instead of sealing something, it suggested a lot more than his limited knowledge in sealing techniques saw.

Flying through Precia's memory scape, he had witnessed detailed diagrams and schematics, a detailed dissertation on something called a CVK-792 Component Part and its application to several complicated arrays of machinery called Devices, and many other things related to what she had been doing before she ended up in Konoha.

Of particular interest was the formidable array of Raiton jutsu the kunoichi had been reading about. She'd even started on further refining the Chidori into something beyond Kakashi's capabilities, but seeing its place in the purple-haired jonin's memory meant that it had to wait.

Upon speaking the magic word, there were no other images except a file photo of Orochimaru and pages from scrolls where there was a surprisingly thin pull of information regarding him. _So far so good, _Inoichi thought. _She was telling the truth after all._

He finally stopped upon entering a small room where he saw Precia in a corner clutching someone that looked a lot like her daughter.

Throughout the mind reading, there was no personal reference to the Snake Sannin whatsoever (she had not seen him, talked to him, or even thought about him, except when she had read about him once), not even in passing.

He eased himself out of her mind, satisfied that one of their own had not actually turned on them.

What Yamanaka Inoichi had NOT noticed was that the girl who looked like her daughter had been covered with wounds that looked like they were done by a whip.

* * *

Precia Testarossa woke up from a dark dream where all she did was rock Fate close to her.

**I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry...**

Reality had returned to her when the ordinary-looking ninja was helping her up.

"Are you completely sure, Inoichi?" the Third Hokage asked.

"Absolutely. Everything we've seen so far is a complete coincidence. Precia-san hasn't seen nor heard of Orochimaru, except in books."

Yet another unexpected turn of events.

_Why did everything dealing with this woman and her daughter have to just skirt around the edges of what constituted "normal" here? _the Third thought. _They are, of course, from another world, so that explains most of it... it still is rather unsettling at times, though._

Plus, having someone with the power like her defect would have been equal to him reducing Konoha to a crater with as many exploding tags as he could.

"Hokage-sama..." Precia said.

The Third smiled, most of the tension already long gone.

"You'll have to accept my apologies, Precia-san. It would seem that we had fallen into the trap of establishing a link where, in fact, none had actually existed."

"It's no problem, Hokage-sama," Precia answered. "In fact, I'm glad we had this talk, and I'm grateful that you'd go out of your way to help my daughter with her problem."

"Word has been already sent that the person who'd take care of the matter of your daughter's memory seal arrive here the day after tomorrow. Carry on with your usual business, then," the Hokage said. "Dismissed for now."

Precia courteously bowed before leaving in a crack of lightning.

"While I may believe her, Hokage-sama..." Inoichi began.

"...we do what we still do in these situations. Trust but verify," Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, answered in relief as he took a puff on his pipe before opening a desk drawer and pulling out a copy of "Icha Icha Sessions".

* * *

The meeting didn't actually take that long, and neither did the time Precia spent knocked out while they did the mind probe on her._ Thank goodness for little things,_ she thought as she crossed Konoha's rooftops at breakneck speed to reach home and make dinner.

She'd also wanted to talk to Alicia about those nightmares, too.

Upon her arrival, she saw that dinner had not been made – the microwaveables were still on the refrigerator. Naruto and Alicia each had a bowl of take-out from Ichiraku's as they watched a movie about a ninja who had to take down several rogue ANBU who had taken an airport hostage.

"More ramen?" she asked as she entered the living room.

"Oh, hello, Mother," Alicia said, careful not to lock eyes with her mother.

"How'd the meeting with Hokage-sama go?" Naruto asked.

"It went very well," Precia said. "The Hokage called in a favor on your behalf, Alicia. Someone would put a seal on you to make sure you don't have those dreams anymore."

"They will? That's great!" she answered, but then her face fell as she began to digest what that would entail. "Then that means I won't get to see Fate again, right?"

"I'm sorry, Alicia."

"Mom... can we talk?" she asked while flashing a glance at Naruto that said 'girls only'. Gulping, Naruto turned to the TV, where the movie showed the hero ninja shoving a rogue ANBU into an airplane's engine while bellowing "I have enough friends!".

Precia nodded silently, and the two made their way to the kitchen.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto, after the movie, heard the sounds of sobbing from the kitchen. Whatever it was, it was pretty heavy stuff, revolving around Alicia's sister. Maybe. He knew most of the story already (aside from the parts both mother and daughter had an unspoken agreement to keep out of the boy), and this was yet another reason why he wanted to progress even further in terms of his training.

He wanted the power to protect those precious to him. His Aunt Precia, his Alicia-oneechan, and every other Konoha-nin. Even the villagers who shot those hateful stares at him when they thought he wasn't looking, he wanted to protect them too.

They didn't seem to stop the storytelling. Maybe this was some sort of cue for him to go to sleep. Tomorrow, after all, was more missions and more training.

He went to the bathroom and prepared himself for sleeping.

* * *

It had nearly driven them apart.

Now, ironically, this had ended up bringing them even closer together.

It was in dire desperation that Precia had pushed Fate even further – she was a more formidable mage at her age than both Alicia and Precia were. If she had made it to adulthood with that kind of power and potential...

...She didn't want to think of all the destruction that would wreak. It would probably be safe to assume that Fate would be able to generate enough power for an explosion to be visible from space.

But that was completely beside the point.

The reason Alicia had been fearful up to that point was that should she mess up, get captured, or die while pursuing her duties as a kunoichi of the Leaf, her mother would snap.

In epic fashion.

Now that their fears were brought out into the open, reassurances were made. Precia had acknowledged the inherent risk their lives were in back when Alicia started her final year at the Academy, but didn't tell her because she thought it would either inflate her ego or hold her back in fear.

Alicia didn't tell her mother about her memories because she simply didn't want what had happened to Fate happen to anyone else.

And so, with a deeper understanding of why they had been so cloak-and-dagger with each other, mother and daughter wiped each others' tears, drank a glass of water, and finally called it a night.

* * *

The funny thing about Uzumaki Naruto wasn't his love for ramen, nor was it his penchant or preference for humor to light up a sour day.

The weird thing was that he **LIKED** D-Rank missions.

It had been over three weeks since the new batch of genin had been loosed into the ninja world, laying the foundation for the future of Konoha... via D-Rank missions.

D-Rank missions were nothing more than glorified chores, but a clever and imaginative jonin-sensei could use this as either something for team building, training, analysis, or many other functions. When a team of genin begin to notice that, they start understanding the real reason why there were so many of these D-Ranks under nearly any shinobi's belt.

Ever since being subjected to the Memory Seal by a certain shinobi who had given her mother a signed Silver Edition of "Icha Icha Paradise", Alicia Testarossa was now approaching her missions and training with a renewed fervor, trying to make up for lost time, as she had concentrated her efforts on placing these memories on paper before being sealed away – the process of which had cut into her training time.

Her kenjutsu was quickly approaching a very elegant style ever since taking elective training under Uzuki Yuugao (after all, she insisted on wielding Siegfried as a part of her training). Unarmed, she was also making steady progress learning from her mother, who had her run forms and stances at night.

It was arduous, exhausting and difficult beyond belief, but she persevered. It was because of one of Alicia's final visions of her sister: wielding that MONSTROUS sword she had changed Bardiche into.

_We'll probably not see each other again. But if we do, I want you to know I can hold my own._

_I will work my hardest to make you proud of me, Fate._

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto was extremely excited. After taking a random elective class that Precia had insisted he go through, he ended up learning about cryptography and ciphers under a part-time jonin-sensei who had also taught him at the Academy a couple of years back.

Precia had cultivated a love for puzzles in the young Uzumaki since he came into her care, because she had seen that he thought coherently along several lines of thought consistently. This was an ability that very few people had, and even fewer had actively cultivated them.

Naturally, this intensity leaked into his schoolwork, leading him to become one of the smartest kids in the Ninja Academy.

Now that he was genin, aside from chakra control and taijutsu forms, he also took these cryptography and cryptanalysis classes. A certain ninja he found playing peeping tom at the nearby baths had also said that cryptography was a good foundation for learning seals and sealing, which, barring the horrible pun, sealed the deal for the young Uzumaki.

* * *

Sai took personal training under Precia, except it wasn't really training at all. They'd read books, talk about why so-and-so did this-and-that, with Precia carefully gauging his reactions all the while as to whether he would experience honest emotion, remain impassive, or try to deceive her.

Precia had prepared for all his potential actions, and steered him easily back to what these dialogues really were about.

Add to that more exercises to improve his chakra control and reserves, and Sai was beginning to feel a lot more capable than when he'd been at Root.

Alicia's teammates had also made great strides in a short time. Hinata had started learning the Divination Field techniques and Shino's kikai bugs had gradually acquired a rudimentary resistance to electricity after being subject to a very low-power Raiton jutsu by Alicia, and they'd increase the voltage gradually.

Teams 7 and 10 was also making headway... a little. Kakashi was a bit too busy focusing on the Uchiha, which left Kiba and Sakura roughly half the time training by themselves. Team 10's training regimen had placed far too much emphasis on teamwork – if their teamwork was compromised, any half-assed attempt to pick them off would probably succeed more often than not.

* * *

Early one morning, Rock Lee had visited the Training Grounds to get off on the right foot, so to speak.

He didn't expect to end up almost having to pick his jaw up off the floor as he saw his jonin-sensei in a rather heated sparring match with the new kunoichi – the one with the name Lee couldn't pronounce properly half the time.

Guy had thrown one of his trademark Konoha Senpuu, only to be brushed aside while Precia followed the kick's momentum and launched one of her own. Guy blocked that, threw a counter punch, and connected. But she had blocked the straight he threw with a cross-arm block, and tried to aim a hit towards the shoulders, only to be stopped as a sudden flash of green and orange signaled that Guy had thrown another Konoha Senpuu – this one would have knocked her into next week had it hit, but it was only a graze. Still, that graze was enough to send his sparring partner several feet back.

"Your point," Precia said impassively as they rolled into another combat stance.

So entranced was he by the spectacle that by the time Guy-sensei had tapped him on the shoulder, a lot of time had passed – and he was suddenly behind schedule in his training.

Sobbing his apologies to his jonin-sensei, he put on his weights and started to jog around the village perimeter.

"I'm sorry you had to see my student like that, Precia-san," Might Guy said.

"It's not a big deal. I for one can see where you've succeeded with Lee," Precia replied.

"Someone like him – whose only expertise is taijutsu – would make a very poor ninja had I not guided him on how to harness the fires of his youth," Guy added, flashing that blinding smile that so often reminded Precia of the importance of proper dental hygiene. ...Unfortunately that didn't explain Guy and Lee's... strange... taste in hair. Bizarre as those bowl cuts may have been, Precia had seen a silver lining from that green, orange and black cloud that was Guy and Lee: they could have sported mullets.

After bidding Guy a polite farewell, Precia shivered and shuddered in horror all the way back home to breakfast.

Home wasn't any better as that was also the name of the fish she bought a few days back. She resisted the image of a fish with a mullet cut, green scales and orange fins slapping around a shark, to no avail.

* * *

A few more weeks had passed since their last joint team exercise, and as Precia was expecting another D-Rank mission for her genin, she and her team were called up to the Hokage's office.

When she had arrived there with her genin, Yuuhi Kurenai was already there with Team 8 as well.

The old man in a rather drab outfit seemed out of place, until she realized this was probably some courtesy call allowed by people who needed the Hokage's help.

"A bunch of kids will babysit me?" the old man – who the Third had introduced as Tazuna – asked.

"They may be young, but they are very skilled," the Hokage replied, silently a bit apprehensive about the mission and the trickery this old man had to employ just to have someone – anyone – help them out.

Danzou's untimely demise and the changes that had followed were openly ridiculed by the other ninja villages (especially Kumo. The reigning Amekage was unavailable for comment.) , but when all was said and done, the flow of information between countries had loosened up a bit, thanks to the other Ninja Villages lessening their paranoia at the rather good news.

It was here that the Third had acquired a rather comprehensive dossier regarding the problems of Wave Country, which had become the private fiefdom of a crooked businessman named Gato. The task Tazuna-san had set was to escort him until a bridge that would aid Wave greatly was completed – which the Third was sure, someone as beaucoup greedy as Gato would try to stop.

And that was exactly the reason why he had decided to send two teams to take on this C-rank mission.

Kurenai and Precia acquired their mission directives while the Konohagakure Sentai Team talked quietly about old times and new developments. When the token mission payment had been given (_if it was really up to me, _the Third thought, _I would have beaten Gato's face in with Enma, and for free_), the mission status logged, Teams Kurenai and Precia set off towards their first real ninja mission.

Chapter Eight – **END**

**NOTES FROM THE AUTHOR:**

Holy crap, it's Wave Country time... this will probably span two chapters and finish up with a LOT of things changed. Ripples have a way of throwing monkey wrenches into a lot of things, eh?

That line Sasuke said in the last chapter about 'maybe needing some ice cream' was a less-than-subtle nod to the film "Evolution", the scene where they pull a fly out of Orlando Jones.

And yes, this guy are sick. I'll probably pull out the wave arc (another two chapters) in several days after my sinus stops playing with my head.

Please rate and review, as usual. I don't know if I can work well with pairings, or whether I'm too WAFFy or cold fish in my writing style when it comes to romance – hence my to-hell-with-it attitude towards the whole shipping thing.

No, I am not going to add citrus to this fic. If you want citrus, find my alter ego (hint: Bootfighter Windom XP suit).

If you have any ideas for this, drop me a line and I'll try to get back to you ASAP, crappy sinus notwithstanding.


	9. It Was A Small Wish, Part 1 of 2

_DISCLAIMER:_ Kishimoto owns Naruto. Seven Arcs owns Nanoha.

_

* * *

Everything felt like it happened a lifetime ago. What I wanted was my family. What I received was a second chance._

_Everything in this world has a purpose and place, even those things we don't know or yet understand..._

_We head into conflict, but I want to know more. I want to see through the why's.  
_

_Naruto: Arcane Heart will now begin._

_

* * *

_**_NARUTO: ARCANE HEART_**

**Chapter Nine – It Was A Small Wish, Part 1**

It was a known fact that the being a Konoha-nin required lots of travel. Not only was Fire Country smack dab in the middle of other Ninja Countries, several of their component cities and towns had sprung up from the inevitable trade routes that were made.

And as Teams 8 and 11 went on the road to Wave Country with their client, Team 11's jonin-sensei Precia Testarossa finally had some time to think about many things.

While she had previously thought her family tradition of lightning-based attacks and moves were a bit too one-dimensional in Mid-Childa, things were very much different here.

Especially if you kept the secrets of your own world to yourself (or tried your utmost to).

Lightning-based jutsu in Konoha were rather basic in nature, but one could adapt techniques from other elemental affinities: the Raiton: Kage Bunshin was just one example.

She had spent her time between missions and teaching her children on research: research on which ninjutsu would work better with the lightning affinity, and refining Konoha's (admittedly thin) library of Lightning jutsu.

This was around the time she had made the acquaintance of one Hatake Kakashi, learned about the virtue of prurient reading material, and acquired a rudimentary knowledge on his trademark technique: the Lightning Edge, Raikiri.

Two years of training with Lightning-based techniques, and another two years of research and more training had given Precia a rather strange reputation: she could turn almost any jutsu used on her into a Lightning-based jutsu.

_This wasn't what I expected,_ she thought. _At least this will lead people to ignore my heritage. Not to mention that godawful nickname._

...Even then, her thoughts kept returning to Fate. Some time may have passed, but at this point she didn't deem herself worthy of calling Fate her daughter.

_I don't even know if she'll ever call me her mother if by chance we should meet again, _she thought sadly.

Submerging those thoughts, she looked at the genin walking ahead of her.

_Naruto is shaping up to be a solid genin, _she thought. _Sai's influence on him so far has been positive, and Naruto's been helping the former Root agent come out of his shell... I hope this continues._

Really, it was just bizarre how someone like Precia could be so ruthless and caring at the same time, and in different aspects.

Naruto thought it was just strange, and had even thought about opposing that until his Aunt Precia had explained that this was yet another aspect of ninja subterfuge he needed to at least understand.

Sai, on the other hand, had begun to get into the groove of life as a team (as strange as their team may have been with only two genin). He was sure that his abilities as a former Root operative and Naruto's predilection for Kage Bunshin more than made up for the lack of a third team member, and for that he was proud of his accomplishments so far.

Precia and her team thus continued to look after the bridge builder as they made the journey to Wave...

* * *

The long walk to Wave was rather uneventful, except when the end came.

That was when Hinata spied a puddle, and the excrement hit the fan blades.

Both their jonin-sensei had Hinata, Shino and Sai protect the client while the rest of them continued forward warily.

Two masked ninjas suddenly appeared from the puddle, near-identical copies of each other (except one had a massive gauntlet in his left, the other in his right). Alicia had a flash of memory about her sister, but quickly squashed it down.

"I'd like to know what this is about," Precia Testarossa asked, momentarily taking the would-be assassins off guard.

The answer she got was nothing more than two growls as the identical ninjas made for their target.

"Get ready, Naruto!" Precia began as their genin got into a ready stance.

"Here they come, Alicia!" Kurenai added.

Alicia closed her eyes, and chanted. "Siegfried, awaken."

**_"Orders received. Spellblade mode, set," _**a robotic male voice said.**_ "Barrier Jacket: Knight Mode."_**

A pale yellow circle appeared under Alicia as her clothes seemed to slightly change in color, a white longcoat had materialized on her, and when the process had finished, she was gripping a foreign-styled sword no larger than a tanto in one hand.

The phenomenon didn't stop the Demon Brothers as they made for the assassination target, only to be cut off when they saw there were roughly thirty copies of that blond ninja they saw talking mindlessly about some movie on TV a couple of nights ago.

"Engage," Precia whispered, and Naruto's Kage Bunshin moved in.

The Demon Brothers took out all of Naruto's clones with their coordinated attacks when they understood that the only way to get to the target was to pick off the escorts. The real trouble had begun when the links of shuriken were broken, and they began attacking more ferociously with their claws.

Knowing that they'd have a better chance by picking them off, Alicia had taken into a tactical run back with one of the assassins hot on her tail. She used the momentum of a low dash to wheel around, point her hand at her pursuer, and yell out "Siegfried! Ragna Bolt!"

**_"Ragna Bolt."_** her Device replied in acknowledgment as a yellow circle appeared around Alicia's hand, sending a burst of energy towards her foe. He tried to change direction after seeing the kunai-shaped projectile suddenly appear from the girl's hand, but it was too late.

The bolt crashed into his midsection and dissipated in a small explosion, stunning him briefly – which was all the opportunity Alicia needed.

After the shock wore off, he took a swipe at the blonde kunoichi taking the fight to him, but the technique did what it was supposed to do - lower the target's reaction time. He couldn't reach in time as Alicia's speed had brought her deep into his defenses.

She grabbed the front of his shirt, jumped, and nailed the missing-nin with a spin kick to the face that knocked him into the dirt.

The former Mist nin tried one last swipe, but that carefully planned kick had momentarily knocked his brain around, causing that swipe to be horribly uncoordinated. Alicia tapped the clawed hand away with her sword.

"It's my victory," she cheekily told the missing-nin as Kurenai moved in to restrain the already knocked-out Demon Brother.

Naruto, meanwhile, had a rather leisurely time dodging the other missing-nin's claw swipes while he got in shots every time. _Compared to Sai, this guy's slow as molasses, _he thought as he sent the other Demon Brother into the black void of unconsciousness with several quick punches to the solar plexus, a one-two to the face, adding insult to injury by turning his hands into makeshift cymbals and slapping them on opposite sides of the missing-nin's head, and finishing it off with an uppercut to the jaw.

"This was why the Third was chuckling to himself. I mean, two genin teams sent on a C-Rank, senpai?" Kurenai asked as she wrapped up the missing-nin Alicia had taken out.

"Hokage-sama probably graded it based on the old man's payment," Precia replied, leveling a disappointed look at the bridge builder who was still enclosed in their genin's protective formation, "not on the possible difficulty of the mission. I suppose these things happen."

"Now that we've now seen this, the mission goes up to B-Rank," Kurenai said as she and Alicia helped out in dragging the unconscious missing-nin towards a tree for easy retrieval. She looked to the much older woman as one would an upperclassman, calling Precia-san her 'senpai' and generally looking up to her (though her genjutsu was probably the greatest among her peers, albeit those who didn't have the advantage of that eye trick).

"Maybe even higher. These missing-nin may have been rather strong, but the way they operated suggests that they're subordinates of someone much stronger," Precia answered.

"A-Rank then, senpai?" Kurenai asked.

"Most likely," Precia replied as she and Naruto handed over the other missing-nin, already wrapped for travel.

"What do you suppose we'd do with them?" Alicia asked, pointing towards the Demon Brothers.

"Hmm..." Kurenai answered her genin, "if we're dealing with missing-nin, we could most likely be facing members of a syndicate. Hinata, Shino, we're falling back with these two. Precia-senpai, continue with the escort mission. I'll give you jurisdiction over Alicia for now."

"All right," Precia said, handing Kurenai two storage scrolls. "Stuff them in there."

"Yes, senpai," Kurenai answered as she and Precia sealed the two missing-nin into the two storage scrolls. "You sure they'll be able to breathe in there?"

"They'll keep. Tell Hokage-sama it was my decision to send you guys back, as protecting our bloodlines is far more important."

"Good luck, Naruto, Alicia," Hinata said before they'd split up.

"Be careful," Shino said.

"You guys too," Naruto replied.

With a nod, Kurenai and two of her genin started towards the trees and began their rapid return to Konoha.

"Now that they're gone, the stakes just went up. Let's maintain a semi-protective formation as we continue," Precia said. "This isn't fun and games, cops and robbers, Ichiraku's Ramen any longer," she announced.

"Welcome to the real world."

* * *

_That speech she made about ninja life was probably more for the two genin than for me, _Sai thought as he took the next turn scouting for possible threats ahead of their team and Tazuna.

Several days had passed, and after borrowing a rowboat and making slow and steady progress towards Wave Country, they had arrived and were now making the cautious journey towards Tazuna's home.

A rather polite and outgoing kunoichi by the name of Alicia – _the genin Kurenai-sensei had left behind, probably Precia's daughter – _assisted him in this duty. After a rather stiff introduction a few days back, they had now continued on this task for several hours without any significant threat.

Unfortunately, they had happened upon a stream when it was only half a mile to go before they reached Tazuna's house, and by extension, the bridge he was building.

Even worse, noon had already passed, but even in the hottest hour of the day, a thick fog had begun to surround the two Konoha-nin.

"Get Moth-er, Precia-san," Alicia whispered. "It's coming."

Sai nodded, but before he could start going back whence he came, a kunai came flying out of nowhere. Thankful for his ANBU training making him dodge it at the last moment, he stopped, waiting for the enemy to show his face.

"Not bad for a genin," a genial voice came from the mist.

Sai didn't give him the benefit of a retort, so it fell to Alicia to sound out his location as the mist was steadily growing thicker. "It's ninjutsu," she whispered to Sai as she quickly (and silently) readied Siegfried into Spellblade Mode. "Thanks!" she added rather loudly. "This mist isn't too bad at all."

"So my lackeys were waylaid by a bunch of lucky genin," the voice replied. "What's sad is that your lucky streak ends with me."

"My eleven-thirty," Alicia whispered. "Go through seven – I'll distract him." She closed her eyes, and she felt the Barrier Jacket: Knight Mode activating upon her mental command.

The mist had caused the pale yellow light surrounding her to flare out even brighter, resulting in a voice grunting, complaining about where the hell did that damned glare come from, anyway?

Sai took the chance and went back the way he came – luckily he didn't make it too far before running into Precia and the others.

"Where's Alicia?" his jonin-sensei asked. _Mist...? A jutsu, probably._

"In the mist," Sai replied. "The thickest part."

"Figures," Precia said as she readied her ninjato. Before she dashed into the fog, she instructed Sai and Naruto: close rotating proximity in their defensive formation.

They got the point easily and went around Tazuna, kunai at the ready.

"Stay still, sir. We'll handle whatever might come," Naruto said.

* * *

"My subordinates were able to get me a little info about the ninja who'd taken them down with admittedly little effort," the voice continued.

Alicia took this opportunity to fire off a Ragna Bolt in the fog's direction. It wasn't meant to hit the source of the voice, but as it cleaved the fog, Alicia saw what she needed to see for that small instant.

"...clever use of kunai, as well. I'm intrigued – what is your name, little genin kunoichi?"

"My name is Alicia – Alicia Testarossa," the girl answered the voice.

"Honest, too. Spoken just like a true Konoha shinobi..." the voice replied. "Except your name sounds a little too foreign. Before I continue my digressions, let me introduce myself to you. My name is Zabuza."

A **humongous **sword came slashing from the mist, nearly lopping Alicia's head off, if not for her ducking at the last moment.

"...Momochi Zabuza."

Another tense moment of silence separated Alicia and this Zabuza fellow. She grunted in annoyance as she'd forgotten that she wasn't supposed to disclose too much, especially against hostile shinobi. _Crap. Oh well, might as well give it another shot, since I'm screwed anyway, _she thought. "Why'd you ask for my name?"

"Nothing. Just wanted to personally write down the letter to your parents about how sorry I am for the loss of their daughter, who had sadly gone in over her head," Zabuza said as Alicia dodged another vicious slash that seemed to come from the mist itself.

"Please let us escort this old man to where he needs to be going," she said.

"Oh, but stopping him is the reason I'm here. I've already given you a chance to fall back and let me finish what I was hired for, little Alicia," Zabuza said.

"I'd shame my heritage if I did," Alicia replied. "which means I can't back down. Sorry."

"No big deal. I guess it's time, then."

"Yes, it probably is," Alicia said as she readied herself for when the next blow would come.

And come it did, but Alicia had been waiting for it. She blocked it with Siegfried, but Zabuza's momentum actually broke through her guard. Her arms flew to the side at the force of the slash, eyes gaping wide as Zabuza easily followed up with another slash, twisting for the final blow -

"Sorry, kid."

"Don't be," a voice came from the mist as a yellow kunai nailed Zabuza clean in the side, stunning him with the voltage. His ninja outfit had prevented the bolt from penetrating, but it had done little when the bolt dissipated, sending a rather stunning shock through the missing-nin.

The fog lightened at this. Alicia knew only one person who had the skill to use a mono-directional attack like that with such accuracy.

"Alicia, get behind me," Precia said as she appeared from the mist and took up a defensive stance near her fellow Konoha-nin.

"Where are the rest of them?" she whispered.

"A few clicks back. Defensive formation," Precia whispered back. "Was your guard compromised?"

"Yes," Alicia admitted.

"We'll talk about this later," Precia answered before calling to the stranger standing before them.

"Damn, I was so close," Zabuza said before turning to the two kunoichi, his eyes widening at what he saw when the mist had lightened considerably and both his opponents came into view.

Long dark purple hair tied up with some hairpins and a tie, piercing purple eyes and a face that would have been beautiful if it wasn't paired with the rather conservative Konoha jounin uniform and a standard Konoha-issue ninjato she was holding in a semi-defensive stance.

The younger one wore a matching set of a tea-colored jacket with a white blouse underneath and a tea-colored skirt with black ninja shorts underneath. Her arms had those strange gauntlets the older one wore, as well. Her red eyes and long blonde hair had given her a very cute look, if not for the fact that when put together, the two Konoha-nin looked like mother and daughter.

"...his name is Momochi-" Alicia whispered.

"Zabuza?" the older kunoichi responded. "You got into a scrap with Momochi Zabuza?"

"He's still right here," Zabuza said, slightly chagrined at the two of them talking about him like he wasn't there. While he did have a reputation for violence and killing, there were still some qualities in him one could consider human.

Courtesy was one of them.

To Momochi Zabuza, Demon of the Mist, it didn't feel like a good kill if it wasn't done in the most level of playing fields with the best of opponents. Granted, he'd killed his fair share with kunai and that big ol' sword of his with the help of Kirigakure no Jutsu and Silent Death, but those were foes he took out who he didn't consider equal to or greater than him in terms of sheer skill, or just people he had to off for his dream to come true.

Looking into the woman's purple eyes, he felt his heart rate increase. Now this was someone he could take on in a formidable battle of shinobi. **_FINALLY, A BOSS FIGHT! _**he said to himself, exalting for the chance to really test out his combat skill.

"You seem happy," Precia said as she and the masked ninja started circling each other, weapons at the ready.

"It's not everyday that I get to fight the Thunder Goddess," he said, grinning through his mask, causing his Kiri forehead protector to glimmer.

"Thunder Goddess?" she asked. _Way better than that last one._ "Is that what they call me now?"

"Just got the recent Bingo book. They may not have your name or your picture, but..." Zabuza answered. "Battling you will be an honor. By the way, I just noticed the resemblance. You have a beautiful daughter."

"Thank you," Precia answered, politely. "But she took more after her father than me."

"Almost had to do what I needed to for the mission here," he said.

"Is that why you kill silently?"

"It's a dirty business, it really is," Zabuza began, "but you've got to do it. At least it lets them die with a little dignity."

"Fair enough, though I'll dispute that last one if I had the time," Precia said, going into her combat stance. "Very well, if I get to beat you, you shall dispel your mist and let me and my companions pass through unmolested."

"But if I win, I'll take that bridge-builder's head on a platter," Zabuza answered, doing the same.

"That's enough for me to hear."

"Thanks."

"Let's go, then."

"Ladies first, of course."

They nodded to each other, and the battle was joined in a sudden clash of weaponry.

* * *

Momochi Zabuza silently cursed himself and his aversion to using the style he was best at: silent killing. Though in his initial career in Kiri, he'd been met by inane humor comparing him to certain variations of a certain bodily function because of his combat style.

Besides, anybody who was better than him would probably be able to sense him coming before the kunai or the Head Slicer did – almost every ninja his level and better had a sort of sixth sense that negated the advantage his Kirigakure no Jutsu and swordsmanship made.

Another clash of swords, and Zabuza found himself in awe of the woman's upper-body strength. She had to have some serious training to be able to flow with his attacks and yet maintain that guard.

He ducked a feint slash and swung wide, aiming to hit but only managed to graze a gauntlet of hers.

_Who's the one who got in over his head now?_ a voice he had long forgot was in his heart asked him.

**_Shut the hell up while I'm fighting!_** he shot back as he swung the Head Slicer again, hitting more mist.

* * *

Precia fired off several Neutron Lancers to distract the Mist swordsman as she changed her angle of approach.

_This is taking nearly everything out of me just to block those massive slashes,_ Precia thought. _He didn't get that Demon nickname for nothing, the guy's an exceptional swordsman to get that broadsword working!_

_**"I may be of assistance, my Master,"** _a robotic female voice echoing in her head said.

_Maybe when I'm all out of options, Hrist, _Precia thought. _Shocking that I even considered running out of..._

_...Shocking._

_Yeah, that would certainly work._

The Konoha jonin went back to the attack as a rather sneaky idea worked its way into her mind.

* * *

Zabuza sensed the purple-haired kunoichi making her way towards him, so he took a more balanced stance to take the impact of both the parry and the riposte he had cooking in his mind as he went through the moves she had.

_Konoha's kenjutsu is pathetic, _he thought as the kunoichi went rushing at him, sword raised for a guard-breaking attack.

**_REALLY _**_pathetic, _he added as he easily parried it with the Head Slicer and broke her guard by flowing towards the counterattack.

He swung.

_Sorry, Thunder Goddess, _he thought. _Looks like the Demon of the Mist takes this one._

He hit.

* * *

Precia had to wince as the Raiton Kage Bunshin dispelled, sending the static discharge through the ninjato, the Head Slicer, and through Zabuza.

But Zabuza had faded into a pile of water.

She suddenly felt like she was submerged into water.

All she could do was scream as bubbles started to appear from her mouth.

* * *

Zabuza grabbed the kunoichi's hand to ensure she stayed put inside the Suirou no Jutsu... only for the kunoichi to disappear in a puff of smoke and a familiar yellow crackle.

Zap.

* * *

On a tree nearby, Precia was watching another Mizu Bunshin disperse itself.

_Damn, so close, _she thought as she felt the point of a kunai on her neck.

"Game's over," Zabuza said.

Another assailant appeared near her, aiming to gut the former Mist-nin, but before they did, Zabuza withdrew his hand and stabbed the one closing in.

Another puff of smoke, and it was Zabuza's turn to be held at kunai-point as the real Precia was the one on the tree branch.

"**MY** game's over. You even used my jutsu against me," he said, acknowledging his defeat. "Great use of Kage Bunshin, too."

"Dispel the mist, as per our agreement," Precia said.

He performed the hand seals, and the mist gradually dissipated.

"All right, now could you hurry up and finish the job?" Zabuza asked. "I know you've been really busy these past few months. That Root purge got your ANBU forces cut by a lot."

"Not now..." Precia said. "It would make the child near us very sad. After all, you had given my daughter a fair chance, and for that, I shall give you one. Consider us even."

"All right," he answered. _After playing that sneaky trick on me, she'll let me go? How bizarre... _"But there will be a next time, after all, I won't stop until this mission is completed and I get my payment."

"Very well, then..." Precia replied, "but after that, only one of us will emerge alive."

Zabuza nodded as Precia left with a crackle of lightning to meet up with the rest of the escort team.

He let out a really deep breath as soon as he felt her presence disappear completely.

"What the hell was I thinking... picking a fight with a nutjob like that?" he asked to no one in particular.

"Zabuza-san?" a voice called out to him. "There you are." A ninja dressed in a hunter-nin outfit came towards him.

"Haku?"

"She didn't hurt you or anything? Zabuza-san..." the hunter-nin named Haku asked. "Why is your hair standing up strangely?"

"Oh, this?" Zabuza answered. "Enemy got me with a lightning jutsu. I switched at the last moment with a Mizu Bunshin so I wouldn't be shocked unconscious."

Momochi Zabuza tried to stand from the branch, but staggered, collapsed, and went over one side. Fortunately, he managed to channel the last of his chakra onto his feet and land on a conveniently-placed bush to at least break his fall.

The "hunter-nin" hurried over to Zabuza. "Are you all right?" the masked ninja asked, running a glowing hand over the other masked nin. "Your chakra reserves are nearly empty."

"Ugh," Zabuza answered, standing up in a daze. "How would my chakra reserves be nearly empty unless..." and then he started to piece the details of the fight with the Thunder Goddess back together.

"Static release..." Zabuza said, sighing as he understood. "Should have paid attention to science class back in school."

"Science class, sir?"

"Nothing, Haku, nothing," Zabuza said. "She just outsmarted me right off the bat."

"Her entry in the most recent Bingo book did not list her Intelligence level, sir," Haku said.

"Another mistake. They should put up that stat as 11 or something," he said. "Haku..."

"What is it, sir?"

"Nothing. Let's take our time going home."

"Why, sir?"

"I have to come up with a lie to make to Gato."

Haku only nodded as the two began returning to their hideout, when the Demon of the Mist stopped abruptly.

"Can you make it on your own, sir?" the "hunter-nin" asked, extending a shoulder.

"Not so sure, Haku. I might have forgotten something..." Zabuza replied as memory returned, and his eyes widened. "Crap, I didn't even get to ask her name!"

Zabuza gathered a large breath in his lungs and screamed out a huge **"NO!"** skyward as Haku sighed.

There was only a rather awkward silence between the two Kiri missing-nin as they slowly made their way home.

* * *

In the streets of a different Ninja village, a nondescript man walked, looking for the bar where he had his appointment days before his colleague's arrival.

During this time, he thought on just how right the little girl (little in terms of size, not age, he corrected himself) was in the long run.

This was boring.

_Whoever said immortality was a gift needs to die, slowly, painfully, and in the most torturous manner possible._

Still, this was another of his secrets that he did not want anyone to know: not even the people he considered his friends here.

One was his name - he went by the moniker "the Dragon Sage", and people simply called him Senryuu-sama. It wasn't that he had forgotten what his real name was (how could I, seeing that my name was the rallying cry for that conflict so long ago), but that the implications of people finding out would mean people falling all over themselves trying to be like him.

If anyone wanted to be like him, he would simply kill them outright, as he didn't want this curse to be visited even on the worst of his enemies now.

The first time he let someone in on it in this era, the guy ended up cheating his way to enormous power.

The last time he did, the guy ended up as an S-Ranked missing-nin.

So from here on out, he kept mainly to himself, carrying in his head several important truths so obvious ninjas of all ranks from genin to ANBU to Kage would kick themselves for not figuring out that the solution to certain problems were dangling right in front of their faces.

_Underneath the underneath is vastly overrated. Start with what's in front of you._

When he found the bar, he went straight for it, ignoring the tables, and groaning all the while at his cheapskate colleague who didn't even have the class to introduce him to some stripper friends of his.

_This is loneliness._

Yeah, but that wouldn't be reason enough for him to go blabbering cosmic truths to mere women... but maybe that was the point of it all.

Regardless, he had what he came for and was now ready to poke his head out of the shadows whence he came, if just for a moment.

After all he'd done even before the era of the ninja, this was oddly fitting.

As the bartender went to pick up his order of sake, he started thinking about going back into the shadows again.

* * *

"You did well, Alicia," Precia Testarossa said as they finally saw the lights of Tazuna's house. Night had nearly fallen, and after that run-in with the Kiri missing-nin, there were no other untoward incidents. _He may be a missing-nin and a heartless killer, but he does know how to keep his word, _Precia thought, _and that's counting for something. _"...but not well enough."

"He was so strong, I did my best..."

"Which is why during the time we're here, I'll train you even further in using Siegfried. Your fighting style with weapons right now is more appropriate for Bardiche, and I'm going to try and change that."

"But I'm-"

"No buts, I traded with Kurenai-sensei when I asked about your progress," Precia replied. "Naruto and Sai can work on chakra control training... while I'll be working on your kenjutsu."

Alicia Testarossa nodded. "Yes, Mother."

Her mother nodded back, but added "you will call me Precia-sensei until this mission is completed or anything untoward happens, is that clear?"

"Yes, Precia-sensei."

"Good, now let's go follow the escort team."

"Yes!" Alicia said as they went towards Tazuna's house.

Chapter Nine – **END**

Author's Notes:

Yay, my sinus is no longer a massive annoyance!

Getting a handle on fight scenes is a bit harder than I originally thought. And changing the name of Zabuza's sword to "Head Slicer": good idea or bad one?

Some of you may be confused at the lack of dialogue in key scenes, but I'll try to keep it that way because some things Precia and Alicia will say are potential spoilers.

Don't worry, I'll get to them eventually when the events they're supposed to be spoiling have already happened.

Chapter Ten is up next, where Naruto will be trapped, Alicia nearly dies, you-know-what makes a comeback, Sai struts his stuff, Alicia refines her swordsmanship and it's Precia vs. Zabuza, round 2!

Read and review, again, please. I want to know how well I'm doing so far.


	10. It Was A Small Wish, Part 2 of 2

_DISCLAIMER:_ Naruto = Kishimoto; Nanoha = Seven Arcs.

Future updates will be slow in coming because of several factors: a. the PC I use has just about given up the ghost and b. December's coming.

The poem the Kyuubi quotes is from Lovelace's _"To Althea, From Prison"_.

Anyway, here's the tail end of the Wave Country arc. Enjoy.

* * *

_Everything felt like it happened a lifetime ago. What I wanted was my family. What I received was a second chance._

_So this is what it means, to fight for those precious to you. Everything begins with a wish... a wish to be able to rise beyond yourself, to protect the ones close to your heart._

_I will strive to have such conviction.  
_

_Naruto: Arcane Heart will now begin._

* * *

**_NARUTO: ARCANE HEART_**

**Chapter Ten – It Was A Small Wish, Part 2**

It is often said that dreams are the playground of the imaginative mind. Also, it is within dreamscapes that the impossible becomes mundane, reality becomes bendable to one's will, and the illusion of time and space dispelled.

Such was the thought of a certain entity as it finally stirred awake after a long slumber. As it opened its eyes, it saw that next to nothing had changed in its sleep – it was still inside that cage.

The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, upon awakening, thought about many things, one of which was its imprisonment. As it pondered over its situation, the lines someone had said towards it echoed in its memory. _Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage… and the rest I've forgotten._

One would have placed the Fox in a rather contemptible position if one assumed it didn't rant and rail during the start of its stay within the body and soul of one Uzumaki Naruto, but after what it had witnessed and what it did, any outward expression of anger wasn't prudent and it certainly wasn't reasonable.

Especially since it would have been a bad reflection of its status as the strongest and wisest of its kind had it flipped out right off the bat.

_A lesser bijuu would have gone insane by now,_ it thought.

Its line of thought shifted to the person bound to it. _Am I rubbing off on him, or is he rubbing off on me?_

It continued thinking in that manner for a very long time.

* * *

After arriving without any more undue incidents at Tazuna's house, Team 11 (and Alicia) immediately went to work: splitting up into two teams, alternating between looking after Tazuna while he (and his rapidly dwindling work force) continued building the bridge and further training.

Sai – as the senior member of the team and a former ANBU – could not help but marvel at Naruto's improvement. His training simply consisted of sparring with the blonde genin and a little work on refining his stances until he applied these changes to his overall fighting style. While it took him awhile to improve, he saw an immediate payoff when his Kage Bunshin became more efficient – the same with the chakra control exercises. It had gotten to the point where the same amount of chakra he put into several Kage Bunshin resulted in smarter and longer-lasting clones. Upon seeing this improvement, Naruto threw himself into training with even more devotion.

Naruto also continued working on another specialty on the side: ever since Sai let slip something about ANBU having several specialties aside from their primary role within a team and Precia-sensei's elective suggestion, Naruto started work on cryptography and ciphers with his old chunin-sensei Musashi Ranmaru. The average joe-looking jonin had marveled at Naruto's talent for code words and deciphering hidden messages, and had harnessed that talent for the few days that had passed since Naruto started acquiring something new to master. Ranmaru-sensei even said that if he continued doing this, ANBU would be saving a spot in their ranks for him. That compliment spurred him on further in improving his cryptography.

* * *

Meanwhile, Precia (at Kurenai-san's suggestion) had started driling Alicia on the finer points of manipulating weapons: they had run by kunai and were now sparring with practice swords, learning intermediate and advanced sword techniques Alicia could use in conjunction with Siegfried.

She had also taught Alicia several basic taijutsu forms – if the odd event happened that she would be disarmed, this would make a good surprise for those who think that the sword was the source of her power.

In between training sessions, they had also assisted Tazuna, who by now was doing a one-man job on the bridge because all his workers had run off in fear of Gato.

* * *

At a lodging house on the other side of Wave Country, Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of the Mist, was halfway through recuperating from the acute chakra exhaustion he suffered at the hands of Precia when the door to his room opened, and Haku walked in.

"Sorry I had to put you through that," he said.

"It is no problem, sir," Haku replied, "even if I find that man repulsive."

"Still, we gotta do what we gotta do," Zabuza answered, smiling. "How's the bridge doing?"

"With all but one of the workers leaving, I expect Tazuna-san to be finished in five to seven days," Haku replied. "He is well guarded. With two rather impressive genin plus a former ANBU and that mysterious kunoichi for a jonin-sensei, I'll have a hard time getting to the bridge builder by myself."

"Don't worry about it. We'll wrap up this contract in our own way. This is a good thing though, it should give us enough time to prepare for when they get near here… Say, Haku…"

"What is it, sir?"

Zabuza suddenly had a faraway look in his eyes. "These past few days, I've been doing some thinking. Before I tell you what I've decided, answer this question: what am I to you?"

"Sir, you don't need to ask me that question as the answer is, and will always be the same: you are my master, and I am your servant."

"True… and servants obey their master's wishes, right?"

Haku nodded.

"Well then," Zabuza said, with Haku noticing his cracking voice, "I will give you my final order."

Haku's eyes widened at the realization.

"Sir, you don't mean…?"

"Yeah, Haku, I do. Facing that kunoichi has gotten me thinking that it's highly unlikely for me to get out of this one alive, let alone unscathed," Zabuza began. "I mean, I know I'm good, but that Raiton-jutsu user is in a league of her own."

"But sir… what would happen if you… died?" Haku asked, tears beginning to form around the corners of their eyes. "What would I do then?"

"Hence the order, Haku," Zabuza said. "If something should happen to me, I will probably leave you to someone else's care. Follow that person like you would me. But… the only thing I'll ask from you is to live on."

"Live on… sir?"

"Yeah…" Zabuza replied. "No matter what happens, remember this: you're not only my servant, you're my friend, and you're my legacy."

"I am… your legacy…"

"That's right," Zabuza said, running a hand over the top of Haku's head, "now get back to finishing up your training while I recover."

Zabuza nodded, remaining silent as the "hunter-nin" exited the room.

"Didn't want to ruin your confidence for when we'll go back there, Haku… but even with your hopes up, the odds aren't that great," Zabuza said. "So much for routine assassinations…"

* * *

It had been a day since Tazuna's grandson went on a rather impressive rant about how there was no hope for them because Gato now owned the place. Precia and Sai didn't mind it; after all, children were more easily molded than others, and any damage could be fixed by a few choice statements – statements that Naruto and Alicia were leveling towards the boy.

The two blonde genin had even called Inari out for being a coward – if everyone acted like he did then people like Gato would have their way all the time.

While Naruto and Sai assisted and guarded the old bridge-builder in his task, Precia and Alicia were running reconnaissance within Wave Country itself.

Regarding the use of everyday items for stealth, Precia wasn't the only one who thought that civilian clothes would have made a wonderful means for a kunoichi to hide in plain sight. But she was one of the few who had actively subscribed to this belief, as she was walking through the capital of Wave country in what she self-deprecatingly called her "soccer mom" getup: a simple blouse, skirt, and flats.

And this was with Alicia, wearing her kunoichi outfit in reverse: the garment had a drab beige on the reverse side, making it outstanding for various missions.

While Sai and Naruto were watching over the bridge-builder, the Testarossas took their time gathering intelligence from the town masquerading as a simple mother and daughter. Precia didn't need any changes to her stance and mannerism, but for Alicia, this was an exercise in adjusting her body language to throw off any suspicion that she was a genin.

A little application of her training and she had the shopkeepers talking in detail about just why the heck Inari was acting up: the person who had stood for his father was executed by Gato for daring to stand against him. Precia's eyes narrowed in restrained anger as she saw that the same corruption and evil that she'd experienced in Mid-Childa were echoed here.

_Now that I can actually do something about it for once, maybe I should go and slap Gato's head on a spike,_ she thought. _That would probably not do well for Naruto and Alicia, though._

Upon their return, Precia then had Alicia go through the sword stances she had taught her once more, in further detail, and Alicia didn't seem to mind.

* * *

"Now's the time for me to upgrade your Blade Slash," Precia said as she took another swing at Alicia.

"Yes, Precia-sensei," Alicia answered, parrying it and returning the attack.

After they had broken off, Precia activated Hrist and made her shift to Knight Sword Mode. While this wasn't the most efficient of modes for her Device, it was more than adequate to teach Alicia the finer points of using Siegfried.

"Watch carefully," Precia said as a violet magic circle about her height appeared in front of her. "Rune Spiral."

**_"Rune Spiral,"_** Hrist echoed in acknowledgment of the command. Rearing back, Precia thrust the Knight Sword Mode-Hrist into the circle, causing the blade to extend in length and force due to the magical energies surrounding it.

"Now you try it," Precia told Alicia, "and remember, stab through the middle. If there is a margin of error, the energy blade will not be at maximum extension."

"Yes, Precia-sensei!" Alicia answered as a yellow circle appeared, ready for the use of her technique. "Siegfried, let's go! Rune Spiral!"

**_"Rune Spiral."_**

* * *

The next day, Uzumaki Naruto decided to take a break in between his grueling training regimen. He saw a small river near Tazuna's house, and decided he'd work on maybe a little water walking before relaxing a bit. After all, the bridge was almost done, and that missing-nin Precia-sensei had been talking about hadn't been seen in awhile.

He was just about to take up a spot under a small tree when he felt a strange presence near him. Turning around towards the source, he saw a very good-looking girl gathering herbs.

"Hi!" Naruto said, nearly startling the girl as he approached. "Haven't seen you around here, even in town. You new?"

"Not… really," she answered. "That forehead protector… are you a ninja?"

"Only a genin," Naruto replied. "But I'm already making progress, believe you me. The name's Uzumaki Naruto. You are?"

"My name… is Haku," the girl answered.

"So, Haku-chan," Naruto said while assisting the girl gather herbs (for that was what a gentleman does, according to Precia-sensei), "what do you think of Wave?"

"It's… not so bad…" she replied. "Though, it would be a lot better if Gato wasn't running this place."

"True, but we weren't sent here for him."

"I know, I saw you near Tazuna-san. Tell me, Naruto…" Haku asked. "Do you think that the people will fulfill their dreams when this bridge is completed?"

"I believe so," Naruto replied. "After all, Tazuna-san's not just building a bridge, he's rebuilding the lives and hopes of all these people. So if anyone would want to tamper with that, I'll probably not hold back against them."

Haku nodded. "I suppose you would; after all, people's dreams are at stake. By the way, Naruto-kun… why are you a ninja?"

Naruto quirked his eyebrows at the strange question. "Why? I suppose there are many reasons, but the biggest one is to protect the people I love."

"I believe that as well," Haku said. "Truer words have never been said in the world of the ninja. The strength of our faith in one another can overcome even the worst of obstacles."

"Count on that, Haku-chan," Naruto said. "There, are those the last of it?"

"Yes," Haku replied. "Thank you for helping me this morning."

"Not a problem. Oh, crap…" Naruto said. "Precia-sensei is probably looking for me now."

"Precia-sensei?" Haku asked, curious at the strange-sounding name.

"Yeah, she's my jonin-sensei and she's really good. She got into a fight with this really strong missing-nin, pity I didn't get to see it…" Naruto began.

_So the kunoichi Zabuza-san speaks of is this genin's jonin-sensei, and her name is Precia!_ Haku thought. "Naruto-kun, well, I guess it's best we went our separate ways."

"Of course," Naruto said. "Until we meet again, Haku-chan."

As he ran off, Naruto heard Haku's voice echoing through the early morning fog. "Naruto-kun, I forgot to tell you… I'M A GUY!"

Uzumaki Naruto stopped dead in his tracks and palmed his face before taking a very somber walk back to the bridge-builder's house for breakfast.

Somewhere within him, a certain nine-tailed demon fox was rolling around in laughter.

* * *

Tazuna, his daughter Tsunami and his grandson Inari were having breakfast with Precia, Alicia, and Sai when Naruto walked in, pale as a sheet and with a cold sweat broken out all over him.

"Naruto-kun, what happened?" Alicia asked as she offered a seat for him around the small fire.

"Tell you later… oh, man, this is really bad…" Naruto answered.

"You seem a little spaced out, Naruto. Is this because of the training?" Sai asked.

"Not really, it's just… oh well, it's not my place to say right now." He took a bowl of rice and started eating. "Itadakimasu…"

Precia quirked an eyebrow. This wasn't his usual exuberant self. "It wouldn't be fair to hide anything important from your jonin-sensei and your team, now is it, Naruto?" she asked quizzically.

"Well… oh, all right," Naruto sighed. "I found this cute girl near the house, and we talked a bit. Then when she left she said that she was a guy…"

Everyone on the table laughed, making Naruto wish there was a bloodline limit or Doton technique that would make him vanish into the ground.

"That happens to the best of us, Naruto," Precia said, stifling a chuckle. "Anyway, here's to tomorrow and the bridge being completed," she added, raising the glass of juice she'd brought along.

"Cheers!"

* * *

The rest of the day had gone uneventfully, with all four of them both watching over Tazuna-san and doing a little mental training for any upcoming events.

Later that night, when Naruto and Alicia had already fallen asleep, Precia asked Sai to take over watch for the meantime, as she said that she had some unfinished business left in town. Sai didn't ask what it was, nor did his jonin-sensei venture an answer.

* * *

It was predictable as always as Precia, wearing a mix of her civilian and mission clothes in a passable copy of a Mist kunoichi, sipped the bowl of sake she ordered in the bar very slowly.

She scanned the bar, seeing the usual panoply of bandits and workers seeking respite in the warmth of sake's embrace after a hard day's labor. Dissatisfied, she went back to looking into her reflection into the sake bowl, when a glass of beer was placed near her.

"Complements of the gentleman over there," the bartender said. "It's clean," he added when he saw her eyebrow quirk.

She took the glass of beer and slowly walked over to where her beneficiary was sitting.

"And to whom do I honor this drink?" Precia asked. "Momochi Zabuza?"

The Mist-nin didn't miss a beat as he motioned for her to sit down.

"I took a chance getting you to come here so we could talk."

"So… talk," Precia said as she took a seat opposite his table.

"There's a saying in Mist that when even your allies betray you, your enemies become your only allies. We'll be fighting to the death tomorrow for all the marbles, you see."

"Continue," Precia said as she took a sip of the beer.

"I've had a hunch that tomorrow might end with me already gone. That I don't mind, I've had a good long life, epic lays, even better drinks, and a devoted servant."

"That child?"

"Yeah. I might be too far gone for you or anyone to help, but the kid still has a chance. He's too nice to be hanging around someone like me for too long, and I'm already starting to rub off on him."

"You say that like you dislike who you are."

"It's not that, Precia. I did what I had to do then. Now... I do it so Haku won't."

"So that's his name…" Precia said. "I don't know if I can honor your request."

"That's cool," Zabuza replied. "No problem. You can figure it out up until tomorrow. Want another drink? Helps calm my nerves."

"No, thank you," Precia answered. "I'll just see you tomorrow morning, then."

"All right," Zabuza said, smiling under the mask. "Tomorrow morning it is."

Precia Testarossa remained silent all the way back to Tazuna's home.

Back at the bar, Zabuza again mouthed a silent curse. _I didn't get her last name. Damn it._

* * *

Early the next morning, Precia and her team of genin awoke to a fog that was so thick it reduced their visibility greatly.

"He's here," Precia whispered. "Sai, you look after Tazuna-san and his family. The rest of you, follow me."

Her three genin nodded as they set about towards the bridge.

On the end of the bridge near the docks, Zabuza and his hunter-nin were waiting for the inevitable clash that would decide their destinies.

"Glad you're on time," Zabuza said as he saw the three Konoha-nin approach, readying the Head Slicer for battle. _Glad Precia-san took my idea to heart, keeping the bridge builder safe while we settle this,_ he thought. _Not that it matters any as I'll easily slice his throat when I beat her._

"No problem," Precia answered. "I suppose this is where it all boils down to."

"Haven't regretted anything, not about to start," Zabuza added, relaxing into his fighting stance.

Precia silently signaled to Naruto and Alicia. "This is one-on-one, right?" she asked.

"That's how we Mist-nin gain our reputations," Zabuza replied. "Come on!"

Precia unsheathed and readied her ninjato. "Neutralize the hunter-nin. I'll take the one with the sword," she whispered to her genin.

Naruto and Alicia nodded, as they drew kunai and paced slowly towards the masked hunter-nin.

Haku sighed. This was for Zabuza-san's dreams, and if his master thought their chances weren't good, he didn't. Those dreams were simply too precious to them to be left behind.

A resounding clang signaled the beginning of the fight.

* * *

Back at Tazuna's house, the bandits Gato had sent to use him, Tsunami and/or Inari as hostages were already growing stiff, having been drowned in chakra-enhanced ink.

_This area is where Danzou-sama's training shines,_ Sai wryly thought as he drew an octopus to throw at the last of the bandits, dissolving into ink as it clogged the unfortunate bandit's throat.

_Sucks to be you._

With the last of them drowning in ink, Inari had asked him to rally the villagers – he had overheard one of the thugs saying that Gato would bring most of his mercenaries to finish the job if Zabuza and Haku couldn't.

Wanting to prevent a massacre, Sai agreed and followed the boy and his mother towards the village proper.

* * *

Meanwhile, someplace not that far from Wave Country - but not that close, too - two people were talking shop over bottles of sake in one of those bars you'd find for a dime a dozen in any ninja village.

"My networks have been compromised? How sure are you about this?" the first man asked.

"About seventy-five to eighty per cent sure," the other man replied. "As to the extent of the information itself compromised, it's close to half to two-thirds modified, bowdlerized or flat-out rendered useless. Take everything you can get with a barrel of salt each, if you can."

"That new village worries me," the first man said after five comfortable minutes had passed.

"What, because it strikes you in the gut?"

"Yeah."

"You know what you should do?" the second man said. "You need to act on your gut more. You're not that much of a risk-taker. Why, take that little godson of yours, for instance..."

"Low blow, Sage boy, low blow."

"I'll do you a small favor after I finish this bottle with you: since I have some unfinished business at Konoha, why don't I join you on the way there? Then I could probably go back under cover and see how much of your network has truly been compromised."

"Knowing you, Sage boy? This isn't something you'd do out of the goodness of your heart."

"Why, whatever gave you that idea? You wound me deeply," the second man replied with a sarcastic tone as he poured the last bottle of sake into his bowl.

"Heh, you're always such a bleeding heart."

"And you still can't write a romance worth crap."

"D'you want my next edition to feature more shibari?"

"What, and alienate your loyal fanbase? I know you, warts and all," the man answered. "You wouldn't take that kind of risk in that kind of manner. Maybe a little spanking, then some appetizers and stuff in the bath houses - you do know that, right?"

"Who died and gave you advice on how to write my genre of books, anyhow?"

"And who died and made you follow every piece of advice I say?"

"Go kidnap a princess and guard a treasure chest in some cave. Leave me be."

"Not until I see that princess kiss you and toss you against the wall. Maybe that's all the action you're gonna get."

"You're evil."

"You're a pervert."

"Super-pervert, you mean. Get the damn facts straight."

"Oh, right, my bad. **SUPER-**pervert it is."

They shared a short laugh before finishing off the sake, paying their bill, and discreetly leaving.

* * *

As soon as the battle started, the mysterious hunter-nin had muttered "Makyou Hyoushou", immediately conjuring up a field of mirrors to surround Naruto and Alicia.

"Didn't they say there were only five elemental attributes?" Naruto asked, throwing a kunai against a mirror, only to have it bounce off.

"Unless…" Alicia answered, throwing a kunai laced with a basic Raiton jutsu at another mirror. As it crackled – but held – Alicia remembered the hierarchy of which elemental types were better than others.

"Naruto! It's some kind of mix!" Alicia said as she parried the first of the hunter-nin's volleys of ice needles with Siegfried.

"How do we beat it if it's a mix?" he asked her.

"Don't know yet… Let's keep the hunter-nin busy while we figure something out!"

That was as good a solution as any in such a bad situation, so Naruto nodded, and together they started dodging more flurries of ice needles and senbon.

* * *

Momochi Zabuza, if he wasn't too impressed at the showing of the purple-haired jonin, was rather disappointed in himself.

He'd used Kirigakure no Jutsu to thicken the mist further, but each of his slashes with the Head Slicer hit thin air when he could swear that his opponent was there mere moments ago.

He slashed again, only to be parried by the purple-haired kunoichi's ninjato. "Ninjas don't do the same trick twice," she said. "You're selling me short."

He shrugged as he swung the Head Slicer in another large arc, causing Precia to get dragged with the momentum. But, unlike her daughter, she went along with the force of the blow so her guard wouldn't be blown away.

He did the hand seals, and the mist around the battlefield dissipated to a more manageable level.

"Someone of your caliber should be a little more knowledgeable than that," Precia said.

"Well, since this is for all the marbles, I guess I'd better go all out." He began another series of hand signs. "Suiryuudan no Jutsu!"

A dragon made of water wound itself around Zabuza before rushing at full speed towards Precia, but before it could do so, she had made a series of similar hand signs and bellowed "Rairyuudan no Jutsu!" as she conjured up a dragon made of crackling electricity to counter Zabuza's technique.

He could only gape at the resulting impact.

* * *

As the battle wore on, Haku felt his chakra reserves gradually weakening. He couldn't hold his mirrors up for so long (even though a strange technique the genin kunoichi used with a sword managed to crack one of them), and even though he'd manage to score glancing hits on both genin, they were far too quick for him to nail a vital point to keep them down for a moment. Desperate, he feinted by throwing a clump senbon towards the dark-blue-clad genin while he readied his hand signs for the Sensatsu Suishou.

He threw, and as the senbon made their way towards their target he dispelled the Ice Mirrors with his throwing hand while finishing the Thousand Ice Needles technique with the other.

Alicia saw what was coming as the mirrors shattered, and they were in the epicenter of the incoming blast.

_HOW DO I COUNTER THIS?_ she thought, panicking. _Not even my Barrier Jacket will take all the hits for myself, let alone me and Naruto!_

She made her choice, as the duty to protect one's family came first before oneself. Readying Siegfried to perhaps bust through one line so she could toss Naruto through it and let her take the brunt of the needles, she braced herself for impact.

Except her Device had other ideas.

**_"Multiple targets. Field of applicable size. Clearance has been confirmed. Spell Lock is thus cancelled for Kanavan Strike,"_** it intoned quietly.

**_"Activate Rune Spiral at maximum power towards the ground and the _****_Field Circle_****_ for Kanavan Strike."_** the voice echoed in Alicia's mind. **_"Jump for greater area of effect."_**

_Oh, what the hell, might as well give it a shot! _she thought as she leaped into the air and readied herself to plunge Siegfried into the ground as hard as she could.

With mana flowing from her hands towards the enchanted blade that was her Device, she descended.

**_"Kanavan Strike."_** Siegfried intoned.

Her Field Circle had suddenly increased in volume, shooting out innumerable swords of light that matched Haku's Thousand Ice Needles technique in number, intercepting and shattering the ice needles, thereby nullifying the technique.

What Alicia didn't expect was to see one unbroken mirror behind her. Naruto did, though, but before he could scream "FEINT!" Haku had already broken out of the last remaining mirror and stuck a senbon needle on the side of Alicia's neck before she could recover from the first use of that technique.

Uzumaki Naruto howled in rage as his oneechan was struck down in one shot.

* * *

_Gone._

_My meal ticket._

_Gone._

_You'll pay for that, trap boy!_

_I'll make sure you'll suffer!_

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto could only see red.

Power began flaring around him – boosting his senses to unbelievable degrees. He didn't notice that his eyes had now turned red, his whiskers deepened, his canines and nails lengthened. All he saw was that his sister was gone.

This freak hunter-nin had to pay for that.

Immediately.

He strode towards his target, who was now standing shakily from all the chakra he expended. A flurry of senbon needles the hunter-nin desperately threw just bounced off the blond genin's aura like they were nothing more than toothpicks. Naruto closed the distance easily, and saw the fear flowing through the hunter-nin's mask.

Uzumaki Naruto enjoyed feeding off the fear, but before he got carried away, he reared up and fired off a right hook, sending the hunter-nin twirling through the air and crashing into the dirt.

He froze as he saw who the hunter-nin was as the mask had been taken off with the force of the blow.

Haku.

_What the hell was going on?_

* * *

Momochi Zabuza rarely wanted to admit that he was beaten on nearly every level. Even though he was usually outmatched, he usually escaped or won by either stealth or deception. It didn't get him any respect, but it did keep him alive.

However, he and Haku were caught between a rock and a hard place. Losing was not an option.

Even though this Konoha kunoichi was pretty cool and had beaten him at everything he was good at, he wouldn't lose… not because he wouldn't have a face to show Haku, but because no one would look after the kid if he was gone, bless everyone else's hearts.

Precia's eyes widened as the chakra-exhausted Mist-nin hefted the Head Slicer in a stance and readied for what could probably be his final charge… only to falter to his knees and collapse, the Head Slicer clattering in the stone beside him.

"It's over now…" she said quietly.

That was when she sensed the group of people approaching them from the bank of the ocean from the Wave Country side.

* * *

Haku looked upon his enemy with eyes that had long since accepted this fate.

"Why don't you finish it?" he asked.

The hand that held the kunai started shivering. Not only had the red chakra field receded, but Naruto's face had returned to normal, with a look of bewilderment as to **WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD SOMEONE LIKE HIM BE HERE?**

"Not until I get an explanation for this," Naruto replied.

"Zabuza-san is my master. My life is tied to his," was all the feminine-looking boy could say.

"Even so…" Naruto said. "…I just can't!"

_Even though Alicia is dead because of him?_

Rage flashed through Naruto once more, but there was something in him that was not the Kyuubi telling him that _THIS IS NOT THE WAY IT SHOULD BE._

_WELL THEN, WHAT THE HELL SHOULD BE DONE, THEN?_ Naruto roared back at that voice in his head.

There was no answer.

The villagers had come at Sai and Inari's urging to help make sure the bridge would be completed, and were holding off Gato's bandits, but Uzumaki Naruto did not care.

He had a life in the palm of his hands, and for the first time, he didn't know what to do.

Fortunately, destiny would make that decision for him…

* * *

The defeated Mist-nin finally got up after a lot of difficulty. He sensed those two strange flares of chakra and thought about Haku.

"Guess you really win this time," he told Precia.

"Accepted," Precia answered. "You are now bound to my will for one order."

"That's pretty fair," Zabuza replied.

"I want you to take Haku and leave here. We'll take care of Gato and his thugs."

"Thanks for the offer, but…" Zabuza was interrupted as he saw Gato's hired killers at the corner of one eye. Most of them were holding crossbows, and they were aiming…

…at Haku.

Before anyone else could react at the sound of the arrows Zabuza was already there, blocking off the bolt's path with his body.

A crossbow bolt embedded itself in his gut.

Then another.

And another.

Several more followed until Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of the Mist, had looked like an archery target.

The pain was so severe that he collapsed to his knees, momentarily unaware of where he was or what was going on. However, there was one thing going through his mind: _Is Haku safe?_

* * *

After Alicia Testarossa had demonstrated the use of a wide-area bombardment spell like Kanavan Strike, Uzumaki Naruto's awakening of the powers bestowed upon him by the seal binding him to the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, they had thought that everyone else had run out of tricks.

However, Precia Testarossa saw the unthinkable happen as she saw Naruto holding Haku on the point of a kunai.

She had taken on Momochi Zabuza and won, and now Gato's other employees were moving towards damage control: their crossbowmen were aiming at Haku, hoping to silence one, and then the other. All Precia could do was scream in a futile attempt to warn both of them of the danger as several of the bandits readied their crossbows, pointed it at the Mist-nin, and fired.

Only the most ruthless of monsters would dare strike down those who had failed them. Precia couldn't deny the truth that before. After Alicia fell ill and died, she had been one of those monsters herself – which was why she could so easily see the stupidity of the act unfolding before her eyes.

Seeing that fat man she recognized as Gato kick Zabuza's kneeling form aside and spit at him for his failure was the last straw.

While Inari and Sai were rallying the villagers to fend off the rest of the bandits and Naruto was restraining Haku – who had gone delirious at the sight of his master cut down by crossbow bolt, Precia Testarossa saw only death in her eyes.

Drawing upon Hrist, the staff's headpiece parted itself, revealing a violet blade of energy powered by a mixture of Precia's mana and chakra.

Hrist acknowledged the mental command its master gave to it, and answered with the successful recognition of that command. **_"Hrist: Zanber Form."_** Striding forward with the intent to cut down anyone who'd be foolish enough to get in her way, she took to Gato.

* * *

Momochi Zabuza hadn't died.

Not yet, anyway.

He knew he was still alive when all he heard were the sounds of battle in his ears. _Not battle… this is the sound of a bloodbath._ He heard screams, and the thunk of flesh (as it usually did when limbs are rent apart by gigantic bladed weaponry).

Gigantic bladed weaponry?

He labored to open his eyes, and when he turned to see the source of the sound, his pained eyes widened a bit.

Precia-san, the Konoha-nin who had bested him in battle, had now cornered Gato and was slowly bearing down onto him. Wielding a glowing violet sword that exceeded even the Head Slicer in size, she stepped forward, neatly cutting to pieces anyone and everyone Gato had hurled at the kunoichi.

"W-W-W-What do you w-w-w-w-want?" he asked when the purple-haired Leaf-nin had finally closed the gap between them.

She brought Hrist in Zanber Form down.

"For you to understand the pain you have been causing," she simply said.

She drove the greatsword into Gato's right shoulder.

He screamed, but the presence of the lightning chakra in the blade shocked him further, preventing him from passing out.

"Did you really think I'd let you miss any of your punishment in the black void of unconsciousness? I thought not," Precia said in a venomous whisper as she pulled out Hrist and drove it into Gato's left hand, chopping it off at the wrist.

"Oh, this won't end so soon," she added, blowing out both the fat man's knees and other arm with the same technique, finishing the job by driving the lightning-enchanted blade into his belly.

She stood up over the still-squirming Gato and began speaking like this was a classroom exercise and not a lone kunoichi mercilessly gutting the man who had been responsible for the suffering of an entire country.

"I'm not going to kill you outright. That wouldn't be fit for a man of your stature. What I'll do… is leave you to die, because these villagers will make sure you won't go anywhere far. That wound in the belly will inevitably be lethal. Wounds in the belly get infected really quickly and will hurt like the devil every time you take that next breath – closer to your last. Also… there won't be anyone to save you. Think about what your sad little money-hungry life has been while it vanishes from you slowly," she said as she walked away, dispelling her Device stylishly and leaving behind several awestruck villagers, her genin students, and a lot of mangled corpses behind her.

_Remind me not to get in her bad graces_, Naruto thought at the brutality his jonin-sensei just unleashed.

_Intriguing… _Sai thought. _So this is her power._

* * *

By the time Haku had calmed down somewhat, Naruto had brought him over to where Zabuza lay dying.

"I'm sorry, Haku…" he started.

"Zabuza-san… no, I should be sorry, I've failed you…" he said, starting to cry again.

"No, no, no…" Zabuza replied. "You didn't… like I said… these things happen…"

"…but what should I do now…?" Haku asked, despairing.

"Bring Precia-san over here," he said slowly, and the purple-haired Konoha-nin went towards the dying Mist-nin as she heard Naruto call her name.

Precia reached him quickly and knelt by his side. "**LISTEN**… to me…" he said, grunting and wheezing as he felt the life slowly flow out of him. "I'm leaving… Haku… to your care. He's… a good kid… Treat him… as if he was your own…" he added as Precia caught his trembling hand and took it.

Precia could only close her eyes and nod as Zabuza clutched her hand tighter.

"**PROMISE ME!**" he bellowed.

"Yes, I promise," she answered.

"I want you… to promise me… that **YOU WILL TAKE CARE OF HAKU LIKE YOU WOULD YOUR DAUGHTER!**…" he snarled.

Precia smiled that sad smile of hers, and said "yes, I promise."

He finally began to relax, at peace with the knowledge that his partner would be safe.

"It's a shame… damn shame… would have wanted… to go… with you guys…" he said, his voice softening.

"Zabuza-san…" Precia said. "Testarossa. My last name is Testarossa."

"Precia Testarossa, eh?" he said, smiling. "If we… hadn't met like this… would've been… friends…" he said as his voice softened to a whipser, his hand finally letting go of the kunoichi's as he closed his eyes for the last time.

Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of the Mist, had passed away.

"…Yes… we would have," Precia replied, turning to a disconsolate Haku who immediately jumped into her arms, sobbing. "How is Alicia?"

"No permanent damage," Sai replied. "That senbon just knocked her out. Kid knows his target points."

"Thank goodness," Naruto answered in obvious relief. He really thought Alicia was in big trouble when the senbon hit. Guess that was another reason he was grateful for holding back on Haku.

As they turned around, they saw an amazing sight: the entire villagers were now working harder than they ever had. After beating further on Gato so he wouldn't escape, they started cleaning up the battlefield and finishing the bridge.

"My word…" Precia said. "Naruto, is this your handiwork?"

"Don't know…" he replied. "I did tell Inari that I do my best and try my hardest because there are people precious to me that I want to be strong enough to protect."

"Don't tell me you used one of those catch phrases from that horribly inane TV show you used to watch as a kid," Sai said.

"Of course I did, who the hell do you think I am?" Naruto asked.

"My younger brother," Alicia replied, as she slowly got up.

"Alicia! You okay?" Naruto asked, running towards his oneechan.

"Yeah, was out of it for awhile, but I should be fine," Alicia replied.

"That's good," Sai said.

"Anyway," Precia said, "when we return to Konoha, go to the medics and get yourself checked… you can't be too careful when it comes to things like this. Also… we'll be bringing a new member of the family home with us. Alicia, Naruto, Sai… meet Momochi Haku." She pointed towards the girl in the hunter-nin garb.

"Another kunoichi?" Alicia asked.

"That's the guy I told you about," Naruto said, prompting another small peal of laughter._ Guess I'll never live this down_, he thought.

"All humor aside…" Precia said, "we still need to ensure the bridge is complete and Zabuza-san gets a proper burial before we return. Is that all right with you guys?"

"Yes, Precia-sensei!" the three genin answered, and Haku could only nod.

* * *

While Haku had sobbed openly when Zabuza-san died, all he did was watch as the simple wooden box was lowered into the hole dug near the end of the bridge. The tears were just rolling down his cheeks, but he didn't mind. Precia came up to him and put a hand on his shoulder, and he leaned on it, looking on as Naruto and Alicia's Kage Bunshin got to the part where they returned the dirt from the hole they had dug.

When the Head Slicer was plunged into the dirt as a marker for Zabuza, Precia and her three genin had bowed their heads in memory of their opponent, and started back to the village proper.

* * *

"Please accept this token of our gratitude," the town's leader said, handing over to Uzumaki Naruto an ornate dagger.

Naruto bowed courteously as he accepted the gift. _Another pleasant memory. Something more to add to the people whose lives I've brightened._

The villagers regarded Haku-san strangely, but most of their ire was vented when they had left Gato to die just outside the village.

The day when the bridge was truly completed, they saw what remained of him just on the outskirts, the carrion birds starting to flock to his corpse.

Nobody batted an eyelid and contined on as the bridge's name was formally announced to all: "The Great Momochi Bridge". It had originally been named in Naruto's honor, but he wanted it named for the man who showed that even demons do cry sometimes.

And as Precia's genin team (with two others) began the trek home, events that would shake the world of Konoha in the near future were already set in motion.

Again, as before, Precia was confident that her genin would be able to handle it should they take up any task at hand with their hearts as one.

Unfortunately, that gift the Daimyo of Wave had given him would turn out to be something even more...

_**"Standby Mode unlocked."**_

Chapter Ten – **END**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

All right, I've finally decided to make this an eventual Naru/Hina fic. You'll notice that Naruto is now becoming more aware of his duties as both a Konoha-nin and the demon fox's jailor. This will come into play in the future as bigger and more complicated events take place in the Naruto universe.

Many things will change, and how they'll change will be the inevitable surprise.

Please review. A little feedback can go a long way.

Next up: Chunin Exams and Alicia starts working Siegfried like the ingenue with Devices she truly is. New people start dropping in, the plot thickens, and I may or may not include those chumps with black cloaks too soon.


	11. The More, The Merrier

Some stuff: If you want to know what Precia-san's ninja outfit is like now, go look for Super Robot Taisen: OG Saga – Endless Frontier – there's a character there named Otone. Precia's outfit looks a lot like that. Hrist is at the centerpiece of a choker around her neck.

With that, post-Wave and pre-Chunin Exam Arc chapter, go!

_DISCLAIMER:_ Naruto = Kishimoto; Nanoha = Seven Arcs

* * *

_At first, I was just an orphan of Konoha with a dark secret. But now, I've acquired a family and friends to protect._

_I'll do anything and everything I can, because to whom much is given, much is obliged._

_By the new power I've gotten, I'll strive even harder._

_Everything starts now.  
_

_Naruto: Arcane Heart will now begin._

_

* * *

_**_Naruto: Arcane Heart_**

**Chapter Eleven: The More, the Merrier**

Back at the apartment the Testarossas and two other Konoha-nin called home, Precia was having her every-two-nights half-glass of red wine, and thinking about how things just happened too fast. A lot of events had taken place in the past few days, and it was only now that she got to ponder how and why they happened, and what implications they'd bring to herself, her daughter, her two wards, and the rest of Konoha.

First of all, it was with surprising ease that she had gotten the Third Hokage to sign Haku-san's adoption and citizenship papers. Precia thought that it was part of his playing a role of the "kind grandfather of the Village Hidden in the Leaves", but that was just the proverbial tip of the iceberg. The fact that Haku was put on probation and under ANBU surveillance for the good part of two weeks was a minor consideration – what had made Precia slightly uneasy about how things seemed to fall into place so easily was that Hokage-sama placed the androgynous-looking shinobi at genin rank.

_Maybe this was to show he's not playing favorites with that two-man interchangeable team assignment we were previously given because I was one genin short before,_ she thought.

That was the minor problem.

The major problem was that the ornate dagger the people of Wave had given her ward Uzumaki Naruto was actually an Armed Device, codenamed Reynard.

It wasn't so much as troublesome or difficult, but she now had two Device users to train. The real deal was keeping this from discovery by the other Hidden Villages. At the very least, she smiled when she found out that the name of the Device was Reynard. _How appropriate,_ she thought.

But that wasn't the biggest concern she, or for that matter the Hokage, had.

* * *

He found himself in that meadow again, where the fox was, as usual, waiting for him. Ever since he'd awakened its power, the visions of the sunny meadow were increasing in frequency. This was not what anyone who knew his secret expected.

What they were expecting was raw hatred, stifling amounts of killing intent, and raw bloodlust.

What they got was a wee little fox appearing in the dreams of Uzumaki Naruto and the Testarossas.

After asking the Third for some information about the Kyuubi after activating its powers for the first time, Naruto decided to get some answers straight from the proverbial horse's (or should that be fox's?) mouth, before he got a rather detailed lecture on how his emotional state triggered him using the fox's enormous chakra stores from the Third Hokage himself.

Kyuubi could sense that something was off with its host as he approached. _Anger? Annoyance? Maybe a little curiosity and the desire to know, perhaps._

"Why do you have to put up that guise for me, Kyuubi?" Naruto finally asked.

"Do you not like it?" the fox asked back. "I can always go back to my usual form."

"It's not that I don't like it, it's just… well, people were expecting something else."

The small fox laughed out loud. "Please tell me you're letting your own thinking be influenced or swayed by others'."

Naruto caught himself. "N-no, not really…"

"Yes, you did."

The boy hung his head. "I-I guess so…"

The fox chuckled. "Never mind, you're still young. Your sense of conviction will grow the more you go along. Anyway, I assume you're here because of that incident at the bridge?"

Naruto nodded.

"Regarding the reason I'm not a ranting, raving, outright manipulative engine of destruction boiling within you… that is so because of a certain man's influence."

"Do you mean the Fourth?"

"Well, there is that man you call the Fourth sealing me," the fox said with some annoyance at the mention of the Fourth Hokage, "but no. When you were but a child, someone had managed to enter this place and subdue me enough to hold a very engaging conversation."

"Who was that man, and what did he say?"

"Well… he told me many things, some of which I'm only beginning to understand now. One of which is that _dreams would help me to understand_."

"Understand what?"

The fox sighed. "People who have had my cursed chakra flowing through them… I can see through their eyes when I sleep."

"You mean… you dream too?"

The fox's eyes blazed for a second. "I find myself feeling angry at that tone of voice you used."

Naruto hesitated, the question was surprisingly impertinent, after all. "My apologies; I mean, I just it really strange, that's all. You dream of my day-to-day life?"

The fox nodded. "I dream of you and the two young ladies (relatively speaking) with you going about your daily business, since four years ago, after exhausting most of my chakra with the Ura: Edo Tensei…"

"You know some jutsu too? Maybe you can teach me that!" Naruto said, eyes lighting up at the magic word.

"None of those flashy explosive S-rank jutsus for the time being, at least not until you tap into at least half of my total chakra, which would tear you apart right now. You HAVE been practicing with what I've taught you, right?" the fox asked, which Naruto responded to with a nod. "For the meantime, you need to keep paying close attention to your training. And before I take a rest, I have one last thing to tell you."

"What's that?"

"Keep it up. You would be an exemplary host in the future, if you pass the challenges your situation brings to you, child. Let me rest for now."

Naruto nodded as he returned to consciousness, leaving the fox and the meadow behind.

The Kyuubi mouthed several curses as soon as the boy left.

"I should be figuring out a way to leave this accursed place, not fraternizing with my host," it said. "That bastard really screwed me over, teaching me the Ura Edo Tensei… damned empathy!"

Its eyes had widened at the implications of what that last word brought him. Empathy – it was the key as to why the boy had tapped into its power earlier and much stronger than planned. The fox gritted its teeth as the truth came over him – it was when both Tailed Beast and Host had shared the same emotional state would the seal work at maximum efficiency and beyond.

It shuddered in even greater anger as memories that it thought were sealed away began to return to it. "It can't be… damn the Fourth… no, damn that Immortal too!" the fox roared as it returned to its gargantuan size and howled in despair over the now-desolate landscape.

* * *

Somewhere, in an undisclosed location, a man grinned. _Now I've put you right where I want you, little fox. And I didn't even have the benefit of those eyes you so despise._

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto awoke with a start, clutching his head and backside, checking to see if he had grown fox ears and a tail in his sleep.

Happy that hadn't happened yet, he began his morning ritual, as this was close to the end of the grace period given to Haku-chan and after a quiet ceremony conferring Haku-chan official status as a ninja of the Leaf, Team Precia would now be official. Finishing quickly, he made towards the dining room for the morning meal.

At the dining table, he saw that Alicia and Haku were about to have their breakfast too.

"Good morning!" Naruto said as he helped himself towards a chair. "Sleep well?"

"Yes, very much, Naruto-kun," Haku answered.

"Me too, Naruto," Alicia added.

"Well, you seem more energetic than usual," Precia said, bringing their breakfast. "Well, today's the day. You guys excited?"

All three of her children (she had long since dropped the thought of Naruto and now Haku being merely her wards) cheered in response, and she smiled. Life was beginning to return to a semblance of normalcy once again.

The first week back in Konoha was tricky, with Naruto having a hard time keeping his mana flow steady to use Reynard for even the most basic of spells.

When Precia-san did her diagnostic technique to see how Naruto's tenant interacted with the Device, she had found out something strange: the seal had made Naruto's Linker Core behave as if he was permanently stuck in Unison Mode.

She did do a little dabbling in Velka-era research before branching out into Familiars and the more esoteric schools of knowledge she specialized in and had a decent educated guess as to how the fabled Unison Devices of legend worked, which helped her a lot. But that ended up making the first of the difficulties more complicated, she found out, as being Unisoned would both increase one's magic power, but would also require more control. Another catch was that he could not use most of his ninjutsu and genjutsu techniques – Kage Bunshin especially – as that would actually strain his Linker Core enough to knock him out for awhile. It had taken most of the week and even further, but at last Naruto was now making headway in the use of his personal Device.

What Precia found that had shocked her was that Reynard, Siegfried and Hrist seemed to have some sort of connection. After Naruto had sparred with both Siegfried and Hrist, the Armed Device initiated a Data Exchange with both of Precia's Intelligent Devices, the effects of which none of them knew up to now.

Unfortunately, Naruto could not seem to cast any spell whatsoever with his Device active… yet. He asked his Aunt Precia about it, but all she said was that the stronger Devices needed time to "synchronize" with their masters. After a few words of encouragement, Naruto decided to just roll with it for the time being and work on a way around it.

Precia smiled at all this, and wondered about the training later that day.

The second week of their return saw the comeback of D-Ranks and more training. Alicia finally found a good routine that had her doing more sword training with Uzuki Yuugao, team training and missions with Kurenai-sensei, and Device training with Naruto under her Mother after all that. She insisted on stepping things up in her individual training, and Precia thought that maybe this was one way of keeping her sister's memory alive in her.

Naruto also got into the training spirit, going way back to basics with kunai combat so he could use Reynard as one or two daggers – the weird thing was, if he made to throw Reynard at a foe, the Device would assimilate a kunai from his pack to replace it. The odd thing about his training so far was that the more he practiced, the more his fighting style actually **shifted**.

Sai had drilled the fancy strikes and excess movement from him, and his self-study with kunai and sparring with Kage Bunshin made him rely more on grappling than he originally thought.

As he practiced with training kunai held in the reverse grip, he remembered being shocked out of his wits when Reynard first activated…

On the way home from Wave, Naruto was still admiring the dagger given to him as a symbol of their thanks.

"This is the coolest thing ever! I'm gonna keep this one clean and shiny, believe that!"

**"_Thank you, Meister," _**a voice came from somewhere.

Naruto wheeled around, looking for the source of that voice. Precia and Alicia chuckled as Sai and Haku looked a bit confused.

"A Device? Who would have thought?" Precia mused.

"Maybe what brought us here brought that here, too," Alicia answered. "Naruto, try giving it a little chakra."

"All right, oneechan," he said, and as he channeled a bit of chakra into the dagger, the Device responded. **_"Mana signature received. Dual Linker Core, type-U configuration acquired. Startup sequence successful. Passive Mode, activate. Device designation: Reynard. What are your orders, Meister?"_**

"Er…" Naruto began. "Are you a kunai?"

**_"Negative, Meister. Supplementary Item code-named 'kunai' added to Database. Assimilation completed. Throw me at a target, Meister," _**Reynard replied.

Naruto tensed and threw Reynard at a nearby tree, only to gape as what had hit the tree wasn't Reynard, but one of his kunai.

"That was way cool! How'd you do that?"

**_"Assimilated 'Ersatz' into Technique Database; thank you, Meister."_**

"Can't understand it…" Naruto said.

"It used 'Kawarimi no Jutsu'," Precia replied. "'Ersatz' seems to be your Device's interpretation of it."

"Oh, I see," Naruto replied. "Hey, Reynard, can you say things in my language?"

**_"Affirmative, but it will take some time, Meister. Updating and Assimilating Language Protocols will take a week at most."_**

"Thanks, Reynard."

**_"It is no problem, Meister. Reverting to Standby," _**the Device said as it seemed to slow down its activity. "What's happening to it?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing to be alarmed about," Precia answered. "It's just learning your language based on your memories."

"What are these Devices you speak of, Precia-sama?" Haku asked.

Precia sighed. _Of all the times to let out the can of worms… oh well…_

"It's just like a ninja tool. There's such a thing as weapons that assist its user in molding chakra, right?"

"But none of those tools talk," Sai answered.

"Samehada can," Haku said, correcting the black-clad genin. "Zabuza-sama told me about that sword."

_So even in this age, they've already gone this far?_ Precia thought. _This place has more surprises than I thought._ "Of course they could be similar, your Samehada to our Devices, but some of these Devices can generate a massive amount of force – but it takes equal ability from the user to bring this out."

Sai merely nodded, thoughtful as Precia continued her small lecture on Devices (at least, small enough for her genin to understand).

Precia was appreciative that Haku-chan understood quicker, having been familiar with the concept. Alicia helped Naruto out with the finer details and Sai seemed to just shrug the whole thing off, thinking of Alicia and Naruto's Devices as a different kind of weapon.

* * *

After they ended training early, Team 11 made their way to the Hokage Tower for the induction ceremony. They went past the chunin guards with a respectful nod, and entered the office… only to see nearly every jonin-sensei in the room.

"You've made good time, Precia-san. More important things have come about that we'll deal with as soon as this is over," the Third Hokage said, smiling as the last of the jonin-sensei entered the room with her team in tow.

"Hokage-sama, it simply would not do to provide the impression of preferential treatment, especially in the face of my genin," Precia replied, her eyes twinkling.

"Be that as it may, we have one to induct into the folds of the Leaf today," the Hokage answered. "Momochi Haku, is it? Please step forward."

The feminine-looking ninja (who by now had looked even more feminine – if that is to be believed – after getting his hair in a Princess cut) stepped towards the Hokage's desk.

"Momochi Haku, please raise your right hand," the Third Hokage began, and Haku did so.

"Do you, Momochi Haku, swear to follow the duties due of a citizen and shinobi of Konohagakure, faithfully following its laws and guidelines?" the Hokage asked.

"I shall, Hokage-sama."

"Do you swear to serve your Hokage and this Village with the utmost integrity and with all-encompassing selflessness?"

"I shall, Hokage-sama."

"Do you swear to be the best you can be in thought, in word, and in deed for the good of yourself, your fellow shinobi of the Leaf, and for this Village?"

"I shall, Hokage-sama."

"Then step forward and receive your forehead protector. You are now an official ninja of the Leaf."

Tears were forming in the rims of Naruto and his jonin-sensei's eyes as their new teammate acquired his own forehead protector, signifying his membership into the fellowship of Leaf shinobi.

Applause rang out in the office as Haku-chan finally finished tying his new forehead protector on.

"Er… Hokage-sama…" he said after the applause died down. "What should I do with my old one?"

"Keep it," the Third answered. "I'm sure it has a lot of sentimental value to you."

Haku's eyes briefly watered, and he bowed very deeply to the Third Hokage in near veneration.

"Now that that's done," the Third said with a smile, "maybe we can get down to business." All of the jonin-sensei nodded in acknowledgment, and Precia turned to her team.

"You guys can go on ahead…" Precia said. "We'll be having a meeting now."

Team 11 nodded, and after bowing respectfully to the Third Hokage, slowly made their way out of the office.

"Well," Precia said as Haku-chan closed the door behind him, "wonder what this meeting is all about?"

"The Chunin Examination proper will be held at the end of this month, approximately one and a half weeks from now…" the Hokage began.

* * *

Because Sai took his leave of the team running an errand, Haku-chan and Naruto were left to carry on the training slack – he had the blonde genin working on the finer nuances of element manipulation. Naruto had the good fortune to know his elemental affinities ahead of time, so he had a lot of time in learning how to actually harness the wind element; fine-tuning it so he wouldn't cause tornadoes when casting elemental jutsus were a different matter altogether.

It took the androgynous boy and the Uzumaki a good part of the day to go through one part of the element manipulation exercise, but by the time they were done, Naruto had a decent grip on that exercise; and Haku-chan would have him go through the next step of learning manipulation the very next day.

That is, until they ran into their teammate in a little altercation on the way to the tower…

"I suggest you be careful where you tread," Sai nonchalantly told a rather large-built Cloud nin, getting between him and a young civilian. "This village does not operate in a similar way as yours."

The Cloud-nin was about to betray his true intentions and deck the pale-skinned genin then and there when he felt the air literally freeze around him.

"We look after our own…" Haku's eerily calm voice carried towards the Cloud-nin.

His teammate scowled – this one was a slightly-built swordsman that to Naruto reminded him of his Precia-sensei's teammate some time ago. Rounding out the cast was a red-headed kunoichi armed with a strange oversized gauntlet.

"_Ara ara_, Tatsuya-san, they do have a point," the redhead said.

"Cram it, Aria. The kid ran into me," the large Cloud-nin snapped back.

"That might be true, but we ARE in their territory," the swordsman said. "It would be to everyone's benefit to let cooler heads prevail."

Naruto nodded at the swordsman's assertion. "Er, your name is Tatsuya?" he asked. "Did this child spill anything on you?"

The huge Cloud-nin shook his head.

"Then there is no incident, now is there?" Haku asked, the chill in the air going away.

"No, there isn't," Aria answered. "Is there, Tatsuya, Shinta?"

The swordsman grinned. "None from what I see here. Sorry to have bothered you. Tatsuya, Aria, let's be going. Yugito-sensei doesn't like to wait."

"And I **have** been waiting for quite some time now," another voice came from a distance away. Naruto felt something wriggling in him as he heard that voice.

Inside him, the Kyuubi quickly got over his bout with despair and started running a chunk of chakra through its host's eyes to sense what was going on outside.

It didn't need to, as it could feel the pulses of dark blue chakra coming from the blonde kunoichi walking towards them.

_Tread lightly,_ it told its host. _This one is the same as you are._

"I've been gone for just awhile and you're already starting what could be a democratic incident here," the lady known as Yugito-sensei said as she approached the three Cloud genin – true to form, she was also sporting the symbol of the Village Hidden in the Clouds on her forehead protector.

"It was nothing, sensei. We and a team of Konoha-nin were able to make sure of it."

Yugito-sensei sighed in relief. "Well, it seems I owe you three one," she told the three Konoha-nin before her, sweeping her eyes over them before stopping at the blonde.

**_It's Kyuubi_**_,_ a dainty voice said in her head.

_I know,_ she answered.

"Well… it seems this year's exam **will** be interesting," she said, smiling sweetly. "I'll see you around," she added as she shepherded her genin away.

"You all right?" Sai asked the child who ran into the Cloud-nin. She nodded, and then burst into tears as she clutched onto his leg.

Haku shrugged. _I've seen worse than this back in Kiri_, he thought.

Meanwhile, Naruto was still thinking. _The same as I am? Then it probably means… maybe Precia-sensei will explain when I tell her._ "Say, we haven't eaten…"

"No, Naruto, we will not have ramen again," Haku and Sai replied in singsong unison, cowing the blonde genin.

"Spoilsports."

Team 11 had a short laugh as they headed to a nearby restaurant to talk about training and the near future. Halfway through the meal, they were joined by their sensei.

"Chunin exams are at the end of next week," she said matter-of-factly. "I've entered the three of you there."

"I'm the only first-year in this team to try out for it," Naruto said. "Would that mean…"

"With the way Haku-chan and Sai have been training you, you're more than ready. We'll work on team dynamics up until the day before the exam, where we'll deal with strategy and tactics."

"That is prudent," Sai answered. "How intense will this training be?"

"Not as intense as what we're usually doing," Precia-sensei answered. "This is to see how well the three of you operate as a team. We've started working on these exercises even before Haku-chan was made an official genin of the Leaf, so we've already made headway – just a little back-to-basics and some situations to analyze."

Her three genin nodded as the food was brought to them, and they ate their lunch in relative silence.

* * *

Team 7 was walking down the street, Inuzuka Kiba spouting his favorite catch phrases all along the way. Why wouldn't he – their team was among several genin teams who applied for the Chunin Exams. After their near-death experience on a bandit pursuit run gone horribly wrong, it was good to be back, fully recovered, and better off for the harrowing experience the three of them and their sensei went through.

As a matter of fact, it was exactly this incident that had opened their sensei's eyes and finally cut down on individual training (with Sasuke), filling the gap with team exercises. The last few weeks had them training furiously for a reason the Inuzuka only found out recently.

Thus the strangest of coincidences unfolded – Kiba's vocal display of enjoyment also happened to inadvertently save the Village Hidden in the Leaves from a potentially explosive fate during the exams.

At a tavern, a man wearing a long gray cloak and a wide-brimmed hat surveyed the young genin going along their business as he thoughtfully sipped his drink. Seated facing the street, he could hear every word the Inuzuka said, and quirked a curious eyebrow when he heard the young tracker-nin go into his spiel of catch phrases, exasperating the last Uchiha and annoying the pink-haired kunoichi.

The man abruptly stood up, the unearthly sound of jangling coming from the many piercings all over his face. He politely handed over the payment for the foreign brew he ordered (giving the girl at the counter the literal scare of her life when she saw those piercing gray eyes), and left.

_Surely a place where some people enjoyed the same things he did weren't too evil to be warranted Heaven's judgment… for the time being._

* * *

Team 11 had finished their training early, but Precia still had a last-minute meeting with the Hokage to attend; Naruto had yet to put in his time with his code breaker sensei, so he followed his jonin-sensei / guardian to the Hokage's Tower, where Ranmaru-sensei's office was located.

"Good luck with your studies," Precia told Naruto as they went their separate ways for the time being.

"I'll be at the lobby when I'm finished with crypto, Precia-sensei."

She smiled and nodded as Naruto walked off, and then went towards the Hokage's office.

"Precia Testarossa, reporting," she said as she announced her arrival and closed the door behind her.

"Excellent timing, Precia-san," the Third Hokage replied, stashing an orange book in a desk drawer and immediately getting down to business. "I assume you've come into contact with the genin team Cloud sent here?"

"No, not really," Precia answered. "My genin might have, though. And is it really such a good idea for Cloud to be sending a team for the exam?"

"Maybe, maybe not, it's not like we already know what they might want," the Hokage answered. "I can only prepare for the worst – the possibility is high that they will try to acquire the Hyuuga bloodline again."

"Like they did several years before I came here?" Precia asked, thoughtful. "I was thinking along the same lines as well, Hokage-sama. They may also have sent a contingent here to scout the Leaf's resident Raiton jutsu expert. Speaking of which…"

"You have any other way of dealing with this tricky situation?"

"If it were up to me, let's give it to them."

"Give what?"

"Give them the Byakugan."

"Why would we do that?" the Third asked skeptically.

"Because the Byakugan is barely a third of the full strength and capabilities of the Hyuuga Clan… You've mentioned that one of Naruto and Alicia's senpai learned most of the techniques on his own despite being a Branch member. And since we'll only be giving them the eyes and not how to use them as well as the Gentle Fist techniques, we'll technically be giving them a white elephant."

The Hokage closed his eyes, thinking about the implications of Precia's suggestion.

"Also, if they somehow manage to come up with a Gentle Fist method of their own, by that time the Hyuuga Clan will have evolved their style beyond what it is now."

"And what about the Hyuuga Clan? Do you think they'll allow some of their secrets to be given away?"

"Hokage-sama, some of the documentation you've released over the years concerns the physiology of eye techniques. If any ten-ryo researcher off the street can put it together, they could probably synthesize a Byakugan or Sharingan of their own."

"You've gone through the documents I released to the public?"

"Most, but not all of them, Hokage-sama. Speaking as a researcher, and I'm not bragging about this, I could make up a pair of Sharingan eyes for myself if I wanted to – based on those documents."

"So in a couple of years' time…"

"…the eyes we'll give Cloud will turn out to be worthless." Precia flashed her Hokage a devious grin.

Sarutobi smiled. For all this foreign jonin-sensei's strange line of thought, she also concealed a rather devious side – which everyone who was anyone in Konoha knew was unleashed when she took that "impossible mission" regarding a certain plugged-in water heater.

Skill helped. Knowledge helped. But it was still blind luck that carried the day for Konoha, as was evidenced at the postmortem examination. Precia's eyes narrowed as she retrieved the jarring memory. _An arm full of eyes. _The implications were staggering. How far would this person go for an ideal? Though his dead eyes (yes, all of them) would not venture an answer, Precia knew.

Indeed, she knew – every single time she saw her daughter, she was reminded as to just how low she would stoop just for a single objective.

Single-mindedness is a good thing… but even the best of things become evil when used in excess.

_Never again, _she said to herself. _Never again._

"What about the team from Cloud, then?" the Hokage asked. "I'm sure at least they know when our ANBU will be watching."

"Sir, I think we should consider the diplomatic tack on this," Precia answered.

"Keep them off balance?"

"Yes, sir. They might expect most of us to react with hidden or overt hostility towards them, but if we react in the opposite manner…"

The Hokage knew what his jonin wanted to say, and his expression hardened. "Just be careful not to take the mask you would want to wear too seriously."

Precia swallowed. "It shall be as you say, sir. Should I be allowed to…"

"As much as your general security permit allows you to," the Hokage replied, his expression returning to its usual grandfatherly smile. "Even that Cloud jonin-sensei knows that."

"Very well, sir. Barring any other questions, I shall take my leave of you now, sir." _There's always a chance I might filch a Raiton jutsu or two from Cloud's jonin-sensei._

"Of course," the Hokage said. "But before you go, I suppose the only thing we need for this suggestion of yours to bear fruit is for the Hyuuga Clan to approve of it."

"Barring Neji, the rest of the Clan have been complacent since that attempted abduction. I'm sure this incident will get them to realize the need to grow as a clan of shinobi, wake up and smell the jutsu."

"Wake up and smell the jutsu, eh? I like the sound of that one."

"All wit aside, I'm afraid that either way, we'll put the Hyuuga in a tight spot, Hokage-sama."

"Yes… but a ninja's life is like that. Even old dogs have to learn new tricks…" the Hokage answered, lost in perhaps a memory or the train of thought he had before Precia reported in. "Thank you for your time, Precia-san. Dismissed."

Precia bowed courteously before leaving the office in the conventional manner.

She had waited at the lobby for all of five minutes before Naruto came walking down one hall.

"I passed last year's D-Rank proficiency test and nearly passed the C-Rank in crypto, Aunt Precia," Naruto said rather reservedly.

"That's wonderful!" Precia replied, smiling. "Why the long face though?"

"Well," Naruto replied, shrugging, "once I get my C-Rank proficiency I'll have to switch specialties, that's what Ranmaru-sensei said."

"Why not seals?"

"Maybe," Naruto answered as his expression lightened a bit. "Yeah, that's a swell idea. I'll probably start reading about it."

"That's the spirit," Precia told her ward as they walked home.

* * *

As Naruto and his Aunt Precia arrived at the apartment, Alicia was waiting for them, her training for the day almost done.

"Welcome home, Mother, Naruto," Alicia said. "You won't believe the news!" she said, exuberantly.

"My team just got applied for the Chunin Exams!" the two genin said simultaneously. Then they laughed.

"I'm sure Kurenai-san has done a good job training the three of you," Precia said, smiling.

"She sure has," Alicia answered. "Matter of fact, I'll only be training every other day to be prepared for the exam at the end of next week!"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, we'll do our best, too. I hear there's a tournament though…"

"Oh, come on…" Alicia said, giving her brother the pointer finger. "All's fair in love and war. If we meet in the finals, I'll be sure to beat you," she added, wagging it.

"All right, we'll see about that," Naruto said, half-smiling at his oneechan's challenge. "Spar now?"

"You're on!"

Precia Testarossa sighed. _At least they didn't spar after dinner._

Barring their epic Device spar, the rest of the week before the Chunin exams proved to be rather uneventful, save for that Cloud jonin-sensei accepting Precia's invitation for drinks and engaging conversation…

* * *

It was one of many civilian bars in Konoha – this one had a rather upper-class spin to it. While on the outside it looked like just another bar, the inside was a different story. Decorated in a manner that reminded her of that Roaring Twenties (whatever that meant in Midchilda, the original meaning long since lost) theme bar back in Mid, the place quickly became Precia's favorite spot to socialize, knock back a few, and make new friends.

True to form, this was the place where she had formed a tentative bond with the jonin-sensei of the sole genin team the Village Hidden in the Clouds sent – Yugito Nii.

"You have exquisite taste," the blonde jonin said as she found her new friend at the bar, gazing at her goblet of strangely bubbly liquid (that she'd already tried, this one didn't taste like the beer she once had a shot of at Cloud).

"It's an export," the brunette replied. "Call it champagne."

"Sham pain?" Yugito asked.

"Close enough," Precia replied. "Went ahead and ordered you one," she added as the bartender handed her a glass of the bubbly.

The Cloud-nin was about to just gulp it down, but Precia stopped her. "You won't enjoy it that way…" she explained, and went into a rather detailed explanation on how champagne – as an elegant drink – should be sipped slowly and enjoyed fully.

Yugito was perplexed at this. _How can a Konoha-nin be so devoted to the mere handling and drinking of a beverage? Though I admit, it is rather sweet and perky._

_This lady has class,_ a voice in her head said.

_Nibi-chan?_

_Never thought I'd have one of **those** again. Take her words about the drink you hold to heart, and hold your glass by the stem!_

"Is something up?" Precia asked the blonde.

"Nothing," Yugito answered with a rather dry smile. "It's nice to see a kunoichi with such grace and elegance."

"Of course, since fighting is still mostly a man's world," Precia replied, "but we women do most of the dirty work: behind the scenes."

"That we do," Yugito acknowledged. "What do you drink to, anyhow?"

"Me?" Precia answered. "Many things, but now I drink so my genin will have good luck at the exams in a few days."

"Well of course, luck is a commodity that no ninja should be without."

"Or, as the old ninja saying goes, hope for the best…"

"…prepare for the worst."

"Just like a good glass of Moet after a mission," Precia said, toasting the Cloud-nin's statement as she took another sip.

"Not really," Yugito answered. "I mean, two of my genin are so into that 'moe' stuff so bad. It's disconcerting."

"Are you referring to the wine or something else?" Precia asked, and both women laughed.

"By the way, off the record?" Yugito asked after a relaxed five minutes or so had passed.

"I'm technically off the clock now," Precia said.

"Raikage-sama wants to say thanks," she said. "For Danzou."

Precia smiled. "It's not necessary," she said. "Not that it would matter any, and this is still off the record, but why are you here?"

"The Exams, first; scouting a Clan, second; and finding a certain Raiton jutsu specialist here last."

"You've already taken care of that last part," Precia replied off-handedly as she took another sip from the champagne glass.

"**You're** the Thunder Goddess?" Yugito asked, rather flabbergasted.

"It's a rather flamboyant nickname," Precia added.

"They shoved you off on babysitting genin… someone like you?" Yugito asked again.

"No… I volunteered. Something to the extent of trying everything before finding something I'm really good at," Precia fibbed. "Right now, I don't see just how different our respective Kages are…"

"Well, that's because I'm rather special," Yugito replied, "and no, I really didn't completely notice."

"The differences are there," Precia said, "but for what it's worth, I'm glad that even just for now, we're working on our similarities instead of our differences."

"Same here," the Cloud-nin replied as she offered a toast.

_Sensible, too. I like her._

_You too, Nibi-chan?_

The rest of the night passed without undue incident.

* * *

After several uneventful days of team training and rest, the sun rose brightly, signaling the start of that year's Chunin Examinations… where a new set of challenges would await our heroes.

Chapter Eleven - **END**

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

The "Ura Edo Tensei" is similar, but totally different than its analog the "Edo Tensei". Try to figure out just how this works, and you'll understand most of how the plot goes.

Also, Reynard, Siegfried and Hrist are throwbacks to a certain MMOG – a box of cookies to those who get it.

And for those who ask: "WTF IS YUGITO NII DOING HERE?" remember that our favorite warmonger just had a plugged-in water heater dropped in his bathtub a little over a year ago. That alone thawed out most of the bad blood between Kumo and Konoha. There is still the matter of the failed Hyuuga theft, but that is another problem to resolve for another time.

Yes, Haku-chan is kind of out of character (which led him to being accepted into the Konoha fold so easily) – so is Zabuza. The best explanation for this is the Butterfly (or is that Water Heater?) Effect.

Oh yeah, Precia and Yugito have just one glass of the bubbly apiece. They might want to knock a few back, but they're ninja – one glass will usually suffice. And no, I have not had the privilege to drink champagne yet.

A lot of people might start to wonder as to why Kyuubi is acting rather civil towards Naruto. Remember, its goal is to break out of the seal, and if you can't do it one way, do it another way. The fox is considering any and every option right about now, because it finds itself repulsed at its empathy for its host. Also, the reason why it doesn't outright intimidate people is because of the influence of that mystery person it met a long time ago.

And as to powering up the characters, don't worry – there will be enough equal opposition to go around.

More details about Precia's outfits: her Barrier Jacket gives her a ¾ length sleeveless trench coat, reinforced ninja mesh armor, and stronger gauntlets. Sonic Form has her ditch the trench coat, leaving her in her normal ninja uniform, albeit of a different color.


	12. Whispers and Wagers

DISCLAIMER: Naruto = Kishimoto, Nanoha = Seven Arcs, Grand Chase = KoG. The musical number alluded to here is the brainchild of KingNecroPope and Kajetokun, respectively.

A little something before the fic starts: I tried to skip through most of the details most seasoned readers of Naruto fanfic already know. This is to ensure that the really important details of the story get through. While the end result may be less wordy than I'd like, brevity is one thing I need to be working on.

Hope you guys understand, anyway, written tests and other things in between part, go!

Oh yeah… **HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010!**

**

* * *

**

_Everything felt like it happened a lifetime ago. What I wanted was acknowledgment. What I received was a family._

_Even when things are at their calmest, it is during these times when the ones behind the scenes begin their machinations._

_I've got to learn how to look harder. The people I have to protect depend on me to do so.  
_

_Naruto: Arcane Heart will now begin._

**

* * *

**_**Naruto: Arcane Heart**_

**Chapter 12: Whispers and Wagers**

As day was about to break over the Village Hidden in the Leaves, several young genin were in the middle of preparations for taking the next step in their ninja careers.

Even before the sun was up, Inuzuka Kiba was just about finished getting ready for the first part of today's Chunin Examinations: shuriken, kunai, exploding tags, a double set of a standard field ration set for him and Akamaru, and several forms that were required to be signed by their next of kin (in case of death and/or disability).

It wasn't actually that necessary to start preparations now, as his mother explained yesterday that the first part of Konoha's Chunin Exams was usually a written exam. He had still insisted; after all, that one missing kunai nearly caused their team to be wiped out - for want of a nail, indeed.

_Still, _Kiba thought, _it would do to be completely ready_. After all, the weeks of convalescence after that near-disaster of a C-Rank had etched itself into his memory: _Sasuke leads the team. Sakura supports. Kakashi-sensei watches over us. And I have the hardest role in the team... I'm the glue that keeps the team together. ...I don't know if Sakura-san has outgrown her infatuation, though._

He carried that line of thought up to breakfast and the trip to their team meeting place - the old bridge near the Hokage's Tower.

As the clan matriarch watched her son take a leisurely jog towards their team's meeting place, Inuzuka Tsume admired the strides her son had taken in terms of being a shinobi… …but she had her misgivings about his adolescent 'crush' after finding out the news from the Konoha rumor mill.

The fact alone gave her and her daughter Hana a lot to tease him about, which was probably the proverbial silver lining in that particular cloud.

* * *

In a rather Spartan dwelling, the former Root ANBU known as Sai was carefully thinking about many things.

Things like the past, the future... and the purpose of his existence… he pondered on them very carefully.

ROOT was where he found purpose, competence, and responsibility.

When he had lost it, everything changed.

He even blamed himself for ROOT's downfall for awhile.

When that had passed, he had literally raged at the world, taking out his frustration on everything around him, which led the higher-ups to knock him back down to genin - he was lucky that he hadn't been forced to turn in his forehead protector.

And just when he was starting to accept the fact that this might just be the risks that come with being a ninja, fate just had to go and mess with him yet again, placing him under Danzou-sama's presumed assassin.

It didn't help things much that said jonin-sensei was also the guardian of his ultimate target: the container of the demon fox.

When Precia-san had told him her nindo, it was more than slightly unnerving.

The similarity in methods was just too surreal to explain completely… and then something else happened: Precia-san had trusted him.

He had infiltrated successfully, but now he wasn't so sure if he wanted to follow through.

After all, Precia had reined in the Uzumaki kid's ego and diverted it to more practical pursuits. Even more than that, she had trusted him with expanding the boy's knowledge of taijutsu. The new addition to the team – Haku-chan – had also deferred to him as the team leader, which was a role he'd never played before at ROOT.

_Get through these exams, _he told himself, _and prove you're not just a tool._

_I'm not just a tool._

_I'm not._

_I've gone a long way now._

_Revenge only means I've lost perspective._

The word echoed in his head all morning long, up to his meeting Team 11.

_Perspective…_

* * *

At the roof of their rented apartment, three Konoha genin were going through morning warm-up exercises. Alicia was going through the advanced sword katas Yuugao-sensei had her practice. Naruto was doing likewise with kunai, but this time he was integrating some of the stances he'd learned doing a little library research. It was a more esoteric variant he had found when he was looking for more moves when wielding kunai, and he had taken to it immediately when he found it. Now, his movements had approached a style that was more graceful, elegant, and bereft of excess motion: he had chosen wisely to read up on the ancient fighting style of the Twin Mice - Eskrima. Haku, on the other hand, was meditating, exercising his chakra control by altering and reversing the direction and intensity of his chakra flow - one of the few things his old mentor had left him.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Kyuubi was looking into an icy mirror as it relaxed in the little meadow it and its jailor made. Peering into this window it could see its host going through the motions - the ancient style had fit into the modern ways of ninja fighting, but it would probably be at the third stage of the exams or beyond that everyone else would see it used.

The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox nodded approvingly as it saw the stances flow into one another. _Wait a minute, when did I see this before?_

Shards of memory began to appear all around the once-peaceful meadow.

The faces of countless entities began flashing onto the shards.

Some of them were male, some were female.

The fox looked suspiciously at these shards of memory, and understanding dawned onto him. _I must find a way! _he thought, the gender of his form now established. _For me to regain what I once lost, the boy must grow stronger... much stronger._

He thought of that day with the man with those accursed eyes, and wondered whether the bastard knew exactly what he was doing. He also thought about that other bastard, the Fourth Hokage - and whether the chump simmering in the Death God's belly knew just how much damage his little sealing technique had done.

Closing his eyes, the fox thought of one last man: the one who went by the name of "the Immortal".

The fox glanced once more towards the boy's training. _Well, first the kid has to get through these exams, and he'll be one step closer to his dreams. And for that matter, so will I._

* * *

The Third Hokage sat on his comfortable chair in his office, watching the sun come up. Today was the day when the Village would host the events testing the chunin readiness for genin all over the Elemental Countries.

While the Chunin Exams were more of a political exercise than most laymen and ninjas knew firsthand, this was still an integral part of the life and career of your usual run-of-the-mill shinobi.

As the sun slowly came up over the horizon, the Third was mulling over what had happened when his gambit with the Hyuuga Clan paid off: while most of the data regarding "eye techniques" WERE leaked, only the most conscientious of researchers would be able to make their own doujutsu in the same vein of the Byakugan and Sharingan.

The implications his declarations made when he had graced the Hyuuga Clan house with his presence were too far-reaching to simply ignore. Most of the Clan's Elders had long since withdrawn from village affairs due to the revelation of the regressive organization known as ROOT and the untimely death of its leader Danzou. While the Clan Elders still had their authority within the clan itself, they couldn't say for sure that this was a move made by the Third to undermine or weaken the Hyuuga.

Actually, Hokage-sama had phrased it in terms that would actually make the Hyuuga **WANT** to strengthen the clan, as the ensuing developments would most likely place the Hyuuga at a distinct disadvantage, clan-wise.

It also helped that Hyuuga Hiashi was a lot more open to reason than previously thought.

They would get to keep their secrets, but this time, they were given the responsibility to grow as a clan, or their secrets would inevitably be forfeit.

The Third hoped that he had impressed this on Hyuuga Hiashi as he got up from his table and began getting ready for this most important day.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke spent the early morning hours meditating.

The Uchiha Clan Massacre had turned his sleeping moments into the realm of nightmares. To cope, not only did he adapt by only sleeping three hours a night, but he also took a few supplements prescribed by the Konoha General Hospital and ok'ed by Yamanaka Inoichi himself to ensure he didn't dream.

When he had told his team this right after that disaster of a mission, he had found out something.

Yes, he would avenge his clan. And yes, he would best his brother. But now, he didn't know whether he could do it alone. He was indeed second in his class, only being barely beaten by the Hyuuga heiress, but he had been proven correct that just 'cause you were hot s*** in the Academy doesn't mean you're automatically the best genin on the planet.

Before that mission, it would have driven him up the wall several times that he'd be learning how to walk on ceilings with minimal chakra use. Now… it was just another so-so memory.

That fiasco of a mission had not only reminded him of his mortality, but also the fact that if he wanted to get anywhere, he'd have to do it arm in arm with the people precious to him.

Yes, that included that pink-haired fangirl in his team.

His eyebrows narrowed a bit as he veered from that meditative state to ponder the changes they went through after that mission.

Kiba settled into his role in the team quickly.

Sakura cut down on the fangirl act and started behaving more like the #2 kunoichi out of the graduating class she was (and number 2 isn't so bad – up against a rather motivated and confident Hinata, you'd want to settle for number 2 or get the crap Gentle Fisted out of you).

Kakashi-sensei finally dropped the nonchalant façade he put up and started training them seriously. Not just seriously, but "I'll train you into the ground and then some" seriously.

Then came the day his sensei had a Special Jonin named Mitarashi Anko assist him.

Inuzuka was smitten, Sakura was scandalized, and he didn't care one whit about this new addition into their training spars.

…that was until she single-handedly left them a bunch of bleeding, moaning, and swelling wrecks on the ground.

This went on until roughly a few days before the start of the Chunin Exams, where their sensei had focused more on mental training over physical.

Remembering all this, he returned to revising his beliefs.

He couldn't do it alone.

Even if made it to the point that he could, it wasn't right… anymore.

And if that bastard Itachi would lay one slimy finger on his team, he'd gladly die – just to make sure that they'd go to Hell together.

Uchiha Sasuke smiled as he felt the warmth of the sun on his face.

_I'll give my other dreams a chance._

* * *

Contrary to popular belief, Uzumaki Naruto did not dye his hair.

Sadly, they all thought he did, seeing the orange highlights in his yellow hair giving him a more mature look.

So today, he'd finally prove that he deserved the look, and maybe they'd be looking at his chunin vest rather than the highlights in his hair.

For the love of God, he never even visited a barbershop... ever.

Thus, he dealt with this the same way he dealt with all the crap he'd have to put up with in his 12 years of life - he ignored it.

Besides, today was the day he'd start the next leg towards his dream to becoming the best Hokage ever, and they'd better believe it when he'd do his damned best to get it.

* * *

While the written exams were supposed to start at nine in the morning, most of the genin had already arrived at the testing area by eight-thirty.

True to form, the Konohagakure Ninja Academy Sentai Squad and their teammates got together and began talking about mundane stuff to keep the pressure of the upcoming exams from boiling them over completely.

"Don't dangerous exams like these require parental approval or something?" Alicia Testarossa began.

"Most of these do," Sai answered. "Haku-chan and I are the exceptions, though."

"Haku-chan?" Kiba asked. "That the name of the cute kunoichi in your team?"

Naruto and Alicia just had to stifle their chuckles, and then Sai sighed as he flipped Naruto a 100 ryo coin.

"Where'd you get a cutie like that, anyway?" Kiba asked. "I mean, Sakura is cute and all, but she packs a mean left and fangirls over Sasuke."

Alicia held her tongue. She didn't want to spring the trap too early.

"Really, if I knew you had such a cute teammate, I would have offered to switch," the tracker-nin continued as their other fellow Konoha genin arrived.

"Another Hyuuga!" Alicia said, seeing one with the same eyes as her teammate came walking down the street with his team.

"That's Neji, the genius from last year," Sai said.

"So they're our senpai, then?" Naruto asked.

"You could say that," Sasuke answered. "Who are those two with them?"

"That's Rock Lee and Tenten," Sai answered.

"The guy attached to that ridiculous bowl cut is Lee? So what does that make dumpling-head over here, Tenten?" Sasuke asked with more than a little disdain.

"You shouldn't be so disrespectful towards your seniors, Sasuke-kun," the gender-confused teammate of Naruto said – making even Alicia wince. _Even his voice is girlier than mine now!_

"Yes, having such manners is unbecoming of a future clan head," Hyuuga Neji said, flashing his cousin a contemptuous grin.

Alicia narrowed her eyes. "You might have some sort of problem with Hinata..." she said, "but if you're going after her, you go through me, first." She smiled and let loose just enough killer intent to let the message sink in, and the branch Hyuuga averted his gaze.

"You usually can't tell him what to do… what was your name again?" the girl known as Tenten asked.

"Alicia," she answered, turning to the girl with the bun hairdo - who sounded very familiar.

"…well, you are correct in a way, Alicia-san, as we of the Leaf have to stick together…"

"…because that is the way of those with the Power of Youth, of course," answered the bowl-cut genin known as Rock Lee.

"Dang, those eyebrows look alive," Naruto muttered. "Power of Youth aside, you're right, though."

Sasuke merely hmmphed, Neji just looked away disdainfully, and next to nobody noticed Hinata twiddling her fingers together again after that run-in with her cousin.

Except a certain Uzumaki Naruto.

_What's the deal with her?_

The morning continued with Sai handing 100 ryo over to Naruto every now and then - when someone would compliment, flirt, or otherwise hit on Haku-chan.

To the gathered genin applicants' chagrin, they had announced that testing would not actually start until 10:30, leaving them to wait and continue their small talk in the rather large waiting room within the testing center.

Naruto had the misfortune of seeing Sakura turn down yet another guy – this time it was Rock Lee who was smitten with her beauty and whose attentions got rebuffed (just like Naruto back at the Academy). Putting two and two together (unfortunately forgetting to look "underneath the underneath"), Rock Lee had challenged Sasuke to a fight – but before any number of blows were exchanged, Naruto and Alicia had prevented this from happening.

"You don't want to do that," Naruto said softly, restraining his fellow Leaf-nin. "I don't know about the Power of Youth or anything you say, but I'm sure continuing this will mean that you'll turn your back on it."

Sasuke was astounded at how quickly one of the kunoichi under Kurenai had reached him and was now restraining him. "There will be an appropriate time for that," she said seriously, "just not now."

Soon after, a somewhat-mollified Rock Lee had formally apologized to Sasuke, who had waved it off. "It's nothing, don't be jealous of me having a lot of fangirls," he told the green spandex-clad genin. "You don't know what kind of trouble you're asking for with her," he added, shrugging.

_I need to know more about that blonde on Kurenai's team, _Sasuke thought as he leveled a curious look at the red-eyed blonde girl, who was currently sharing a few anecdotes with Rock Lee's teammate Tenten. _Our stint at the Academy revealed nothing about her true skills._

After that near run-in, Team 7 had run into a seven-time test taker named Yakushi Kabuto. When the silver-haired glasses-clad genin had been asked what his specialty was, he replied "information gathering" rather off-handedly.

"Tell me about Alicia Testarossa, Gaara of the Desert, and Rock Lee, then," Sasuke said.

Kabuto nonchalantly whipped out a deck of… cards, it would seem, as he started humming a small tune.

His teammates observed silently. _He's pulling that out this early?_

"Well, since we of the Leaf are obliged to help each other out, maybe I should give you a little help… with my Ninja Info Cards."

His words seemed to echo in Team 7's head.

_My Ninja Info Cards._

_Ninja Info Cards._

_Ninja Info Cards._

One of Kabuto's genin teammates – one Tsurugi Misumi, chuckled, but his laugh ended up caught in his throat as Sasuke's eyes flashed crimson for barely a second before the strange echo dissipated completely.

"And what's in those… ninja info cards of yours?" he asked.

"Many things…" Kabuto replied, carefully hiding his appraisal of the last Uchiha. _He broke the Jikomushi no Jutsu in a snap, not only on him, but on his teammates… interesting._ He fished out a card. "Ah, Alicia Testarossa. Rank: Genin. Affiliation: Konoha. Mission record: 42 D-Rank, 1 C-Rank and 1 A-Rank. Uses lightning jutsu. That's odd – she's their team's close combat specialist despite the presence of the Hyuuga. Unconfirmed weapon mastery."

Sasuke nodded, taking the information in.

"Gaara of the Desert. Rank: Genin. Affiliation: Suna. Mission Record… well, this is interesting. A genin with this kind of mission rank."

"Why's that?"

"It says here that he's had no less than 47 assassination attempts on him in friendly territory."

Sasuke merely hmmphed at that. "Fine, then… give me the readout on Rock Lee."

* * *

In the lounge where the Konoha jonin-sensei were relaxing, Precia was holding a little demonstration for the Copy-Nin.

"There are several fundamental flaws with your technique called the Chidori. What is the most glaring one?" she asked, with her trademark singsong tone of voice when lecturing.

"It makes a lot of noise," Kakashi answered.

"That's part of the worst reason."

"Hmm," the masked nin said, thinking. "It's inefficient?"

"Exactly," Precia answered. "For an assassination technique, it doesn't do most of anything assassination techniques are supposed to do. All of this is because you get much less than what you put into it."

"How would you deal with these shortcomings, then?"

That got the famous Copy Nin of Konoha thinking, and Precia chuckled to herself at the intended result. After that little ninjutsu demonstration several years ago, she had consulted with him whenever she could about ninjutsu - but now, it seemed the situation was reversed.

Fortunately, both of them took the situation in stride. After all, what are Konoha nin to do but stick together?

"I've heard bits and pieces about a shaped-chakra technique before. I've done a little theory crafting myself about it, but I didn't make any progress. Jiraiya-san said he'd tell me when upon his return, but that was a rather long time ago."

"Oh, you mean the Rasengan?" Kakashi asked. "It's not as useful a technique I perceive it to be, compared to the Chidori."

"...I'll be the judge of that, Kakashi-san. Could you show it to me?" she asked.

Kakashi shrugged, and molded chakra into a spinning sphere in his right hand.

"...self-contained... self-sustaining... volume allows it to increase its power exponentially because of the containment matrix..." Precia muttered as she gazed at the blue sphere on Kakashi's hand...

...only for him to immediately dispel it as the rest of the Konoha jonin-sensei entered the lounge.

"I think I might have something to research on now," Precia said as Kurenai, Asuma and Gai entered the room. "You'll get your results in around two months," she added, winking at Kakashi.

Kakashi's eye widened at Precia-san's remark. Two months and she'd come up with results? What would those results be?

She shifted to small talk to her fellow jonin-sensei as a largely confused Kakashi took out an orange book from his pocket and began reading through it, with Precia following suit after doing the requisite greetings.

* * *

Barring an almost-altercation between Sasuke (who was still somewhat of a smartass) and their senpai with the bowl cut, nothing much else happened before the first exam actually started (if you count that genjutsu dispelling ability the the three best students of their class – and Neji – did).

It turned out that the first test itself wasn't that big of a deal (if you don't count the scary instructor) – in another lifetime, Uzumaki Naruto would have been pulling his hair out by the roots trying to figure out the answers to the test or getting disqualified by cheating.

If your guardian was a researcher whose idea of nightly homework assignments drove you up the wall by emphasizing knowledge of the facts to the point of OCD, a written test would prove to be no problem whatsoever (but you still had to pull your hair out at all the night hours wasted on studying).

That and having an Armed Device gave you the ability to telepathically converse with other Device wielders.

_There, that guy with the weird headgear. That's a plant._

_So is the one with the white muffler._

_Can you see if Haku-chan and Sai are doing well? My vantage point here sucks._

_They're doing fine._

"And now for the tenth question!" bellowed the scary instructor – Morino Ibiki, Alicia and Naruto knowing him as they had seen him working with Precia-san awhile back – but Siegfried had warned Alicia beforehand that there would be at least one trick question in the test, what with the paper only having nine items.

Even before they had halfway finished, Alicia had leaked this discreetly to her fellow squad mates, who relayed that to their respective teammates as well, so calling the scary instructor's bluff wasn't that hard at all – even if he did rather not-so-subtly hint that whoever answered wrong on the question would never have a chance to take the exam again (and as Precia-san said, a lack of subtlety in a ninja's statement often implies something else entirely).

After Naruto had openly (and very theatrically) called Ibiki-sensei's bluff, Precia's words and their hunch eventually proved correct, as everyone who didn't chicken out from committing to the last question passed the first part of the test.

As Ibiki-sensei revealed a rather unnerving amount of long-since healed scars over his head, he went on to explain that there were two tests: the written test evaluated their information-gathering skills and the last question was supposed to test whether they would follow through on a mission with limited information, especially when lives were on the line. Those scars were proof that even skilled ninja die over the acquisition and the protection of precious information.

Naruto wanted to scoff at this declaration, but didn't (even if he did have the right to – as he'd put in more extra reading with his elective lately than anyone thought). _Besides, should worst come to worst, we of the Leaf stick together. It's what the old man Hokage wants us to know through this test,_ he thought. _That, and how to cheat at written exams_, he added with a smile.

The really scary part came right after (to the young Inuzuka particularly), as a kunoichi announced her presence with a large sign saying "**SECOND EXAMINER: MITARASHI ANKO HAS ARRIVED**", complete with confetti and kids' horns blowing.

But that wasn't the scary part just yet - what had been downright frightening was the way she had fawned over the hapless Inuzuka Kiba - and her rather outrageous outfit didn't help whatsoever.

Sai and Haku had noticed that Naruto had used his "Sexy Jutsu" and discreetly hid behind them to avoid the kunoichi, with good reason: after hearing a rather cheeky comment from the Inuzuka, she had nicked Kiba with a thrown kunai and then licked the blood off his cheek, following it up by shoving her tongue in his ear, which caused all the genin in the room to react accordingly: the more indiscreet nin started whistling and cat-calling, kunoichi gasped and covered their eyes, several passed out from nasal blood loss, a Sand Nin with red hair gaped and a certain Grass kunoichi palmed her face.

Reynard immediately went into Alert Mode when its Master swept his eyes towards the Grass nin – as did Siegfried.

But nothing else untoward happened, aside from Kiba finding out **VERY** early on that he actually preferred older women, much to his teammates' chagrin.

And after the (rather creepy) kunoichi announced that part 2 would be held the next day at the same time at Training Ground #44 (the 'Forest of Death', it was commonly called – Mitarashi-san even inserted a diabolical Vincent Price-esque laugh after mentioning said Training Ground's nickname), the genin took to more small talk before they dispersed for lunch and last-minute preparations for the potentially lethal second part of the exam.

"Did you see what that... that... that... KUNOICHI did to Kiba?" Haruno Sakura asked Yamanaka Ino, aghast at such forward behavior.

"She stuck her tongue in his ear! Yeesh! Thank the gods Kiba had the good sense to wear loose shorts at the time, otherwise..."

"Hey, I didn't respond that way!" Kiba reacted at the girls' crass statements.

One Hyuuga snickered openly, the other barely concealed hers', and both looked away as if they weren't the ones to do that. Kiba noticed, though, and turned to his fellow squad mate. "Oh come on, Hinata, don't put me on the spot like this!" he pleaded.

"You actually did," Hinata told Kiba softly.

"I... I did?" he asked, eyes wide. "And where the hell is Naruto?"

"Here," he said, dispelling the "Sexy Jutsu" he used to hide from the creepy instructor. He had met the trenchcoat-clad Special Jonin a few years back when his Aunt Precia did a stint at Internal Affairs; the girl made no secret about her preference for younger ninja, almost coming to blows with Precia when the latter caught the former attempting to initiate Naruto into... certain things.

"Where the hell did you sneak off to?" Kiba snarled at the blonde genin.

Naruto shrugged, as did Shino.

"And why the hell didn't you guys tell me that... that instructor acted like that?" he added.

"Don't act like you didn't like it," Naruto said, smiling.

"Indeed. Your reaction shows that you enjoyed the attention Mitarashi-san gave you, as well as the shock of your fellow genin seeing you in a compromising position, Kiba," Shino replied, adjusting his glasses.

"That's obvious, as he gets whipped by his mother and sister every chance he gets, his taste in women will revolve around that," Sasuke snarked. "The Nara here knows what I'm saying, don't you?"

"Don't drag me into this, dealing with Ino is troublesome enough already," Shikamaru replied.

"Bah, you guys are a bunch of whipped sissies," the last Uchiha declared.

Sakura frowned. _At least it's not me and Kiba he's always snarking at… that fiasco of a mission must have been rough on him, and this is how he shows it…_

"And... you're not?" Naruto asked. God, it was fun pushing this guy's buttons.

"Not really. But Haku-chan, now there's someone you'd fight to the death for..." Sasuke answered, "and why the hell are some of you giggling?"

Sai grudgingly handed Naruto another 100 ryo. _Dammit, if I knew this was going to happen, I should have never taken that bet!_ he thought. _He's already halfway through my savings!_

"Is now a good time for me to spring it?" Haku asked Alicia, his airy voice barely above a whisper.

"Not until Sai says he's broke," Alicia whispered back, but deep inside, she was worried about Siegfried going into full Alert Mode along with Reynard.

_What was so dangerous about a group of genin taking a simple test? _she asked herself._ Maybe there's more than meets the eye with this test, and with some of them... I should talk to Mother about this later._

* * *

Later that day, two of the three genin teams Ame sent were about to leave for the long trip back to their Hidden Village. One team chickened out at question number 10, while the other was caught cheating five minutes in. At any rate, they had to go back to Ame to face the wrath of their esteemed Leader...

...only for them to unfortunately run into him at the video store, and to completely drop their jaws at his change in attire. Their sensei had changed his outfit into that of a civilian punk rocker: deconstructed t-shirt, stripped jeans and black boots - all so that his flaring orange hair and myriad facial piercings would not look remotely out of place.

But that had not completely caught his students' attention - he carried a Platinum Edition DVD Box Set of a certain television series in a shopping bag. Catching their gobsmacked stares, he went towards them.

"Ready to go?" he asked blandly.

The stunned students could only nod yes and dumbly follow their sensei as they made their way out of the gates of Konoha and towards home. They might have asked him why he bought that, but since they'd failed the exam and were returning home in relative disgrace, any offhand remark would probably compound what was awaiting them upon their return.

Meanwhile, the one they were following was silently excited. _I'm sure she'll like this when she watches it with me, _the punk rocker-looking jonin-sensei thought. _I'd better hide this from that stick in the mud._

On the way, he appraised his reflection in a shop's rather shiny glass window. _This "musician" look makes me want to try out an instrument... _he thought as he ushered his six genin and a rather out-of-it fellow jonin-sensei back towards Ame.

* * *

That night, Precia was surprisingly quiet as Naruto, Alicia and Haku-chan celebrated a successful first part of the Chunin Examination.

"Then she **STICKS HER TONGUE IN HIS EAR**!" Alicia said, laughing. "I mean, you could have heard a senbon drop for five seconds after that!"

Precia groaned. "Tomorrow's exam is the rather tough part of the qualification test. I do not need to remind you to be extra careful."

"We will be, Precia-sama," Haku answered. "I will make sure your wards will not meet harm before I do."

"If we play our cards right, you won't need to," Naruto replied.

"Which reminds me," Alicia said. "Siegfried went to Alert Mode earlier."

"You too?" Naruto asked.

"Alert Mode?" Precia said, her eyes widening. "Siegfried only goes into Alert Mode when..."

**"**_**The assessed threat level is greater than expected, Master," **_Hrist replied.

"This has to get to the Hokage as soon as possible," Precia quietly told herself. "Finish dinner quickly, I'll going to the Tower. Kids, hold the fort," she told the three youngsters.

"Yes, ma'am," the three of them replied in unison.

* * *

"You're sure about this?" Sarutobi asked.

"Someone has infiltrated the exams, I'm sure of it," Precia said. "My Device has just finished a Data Exchange, and it seems... dear lord..."

The Data Exchange had revealed the existence of a Dead Link.

**Several** Dead Links, as if something with a Linker Core was forced onto another, overpowering it and submerging one deep within the other.

This was similar, yet vastly different to her young ward's situation: the modified seal on Naruto's stomach was functionally identical to the Unison Devices that Precia had only heard of before.

But right now, Precia knew of only one thing that could allow the existence of a multi-layered and parasitic variant of a Linker Core, and that thing was...

"What is it?" the Third Hokage asked at seeing Precia stiffen with actual fright at one of her hypotheses given form.

"Hokage-sama, do you know of a ninja technique that allows you to do actual body snatching?" she asked slowly.

Sarutobi Hiruzen visibly blanched at that question.

"I need to contact the ANBU immediately," he said over the intercom after a minute of uncomfortable silence had passed.

* * *

The next day, Precia had not returned home - the matter of that strange Device Alert had her spending the night at either the Hokage's office or the jonin lounge. Her wards found it weird, but what was even weirder was their Devices' reaction.

They had shared a rather tense breakfast speculating about it, but Haku said that for all their worry, nothing would come of it.

"You don't actually worry?" Alicia asked the girly ninja.

"It's not that," Haku answered as he poked at his bowl of cereal. "I mean, I still worry about the people precious to me, but at the end, it's better to deal with what's at hand rather than stay still and do nothing but worrying, right?"

"Guess so, Haku-chan," Naruto said. "By the way, don't you get uncomfortable sleeping on the couch? Maybe we should go and get you a futon or something."

"Thanks for the concern, Naruto," Haku said, "but just being here is a luxury in itself for me."

"Okay, if you say so…" Alicia answered. "I don't have a good feeling about this coming exam."

"You too? Reynard has been on edge since going into Alert. And I hear our three Devices are exchanging data right now."

"Yes, and Siegfried won't let me access it 'until it's time', or so it says," Alicia said.

"Maybe it's because you two aren't proficient enough in handling… Devices yet…" Haku explained.

"True," Naruto admitted as they returned to their morning meal, "but that will come in time, the longer oneechan and I train."

All the other needed preparations were dealt with quickly and concisely, as was their wont. "Well, let's go," Haku said as he finished getting every one of them ready for the day's critical point: the Chunin Exams, part 2.

Ready at last, Haku, Naruto and Alicia thus headed quickly to the prescribed meeting place: Training Ground 44 - the Forest of Death.

* * *

Upon their arrival, they were satisfied to know that they weren't the first (as that would invite suspicion of collusion) or last (they didn't want to be affected by "Kakashi time", as both their sensei jokingly reminded them some time back). After grouping to their separate teams, they engaged in another last-minute equipment check.

Sure enough, Mitarashi-san made another attention-grabbing entrance, flashing the Inuzuka a very sensuous wink.

It need not be said that that gesture again caused some measure of controversy to erupt among the genin teams.

"You are so boned, Kiba," Sasuke said, smirking.

Kiba could only hang his head in shame as he was turned into the talk of the moment by every genin team that made it through to this round of the exams. Come exam time, though, he'd show everybody… and maybe he'd be able to impress that instructor lady enough.

"Can't believe one of my teammates is a pervert," Sakura added, earning the nods of several genin kunoichi.

They all handed in their forms without incident, received the requisite instructions, and went off into the forest, beginning the second part of the exam.

* * *

Teams 8 and 11 were in close proximity of each other, as they found out that they both carried "Heaven" scrolls, but were soon separated when Hinata had spotted a team of genin from Suna (no, not those three).

As Naruto, Sai and Haku bounded across the trees to find a good spot to stage an ambush, they had no idea what was in store for them up ahead…

Chapter 12 – **END**

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

1. I'm sure you guys can put two and two together to find out what that bet between Naruto and Sai was (regarding Haku).

2. Remember, the rookie genin here are just getting used to puberty - the over-the-top reactions to certain... revelations are par for the course since they're still at the part where they're dealing with these newfound feelings for the first time.

3. An OC will make his debut in this story sometime soon, maybe after the Preliminary Tournament... no, he won't take part in any battles, but he will serve as a catalyst for the more outrageous elements in this story to start falling into place.

4. Naruto has modified the "Sexy Jutsu" to change his physical appearance and/or apparel - in this case, he used it to hide from Anko.

5. Tsunade will most likely swap the teams around again when she finds out that Naruto's team is actually two guys and a trap and not two guys and a kunoichi (as is the norm). Don't worry – this will be a gradual process (starting with joint team sparring). If you want the teams to stay where they are, please say so either in the reviews or in the message board (click on my profile to see the link).

6. I had originally planned to come up with the Ninja Info Cards song as the Jikomushi / Ear Worm Jutsu. Thanks to **_Daughter of ether_** for the translation, you rock! \m/

**Breaking edit: **_Jikomushi no Jutsu _- Ear Worm Technique - Genjutsu - E-Rank. This is a genjutsu that is designed to implant several lines of song that repeat endlessly in the target user's head. It's subtle, but it can disrupt jutsu that require a lot of concentration and memorization as the user's mind will periodically "sing" lines from the implanted song.

Another thing: **please review;** the more feedback I get, the better I get at this.


	13. Snakes Happen

_Disclaimer:_ Naruto is not mine. If it was, then I would not have Sasuke steal the show. And if Nanoha was mine, then StrikerS would have the same pace as A's.

_By The Way_: This chapter gave me writer's block like you wouldn't believe – consider this chapter laying the groundwork for all the crossover insanity; and everything starts to spiral out of control from here on out.

That being said: read on and enjoy.

* * *

_Everything felt like it happened a lifetime ago. What I wanted was acknowledgment. What I received was a family._

_The quiet courage given to me, the need to protect... will that give me the power to win the day?  
_

_Naruto: Arcane Heart will now begin._

_

* * *

__**Naruto: Arcane Heart**_

**Chapter 13: Snakes Happen**

The first day of their five-day exam passed uneventfully, as Team Precia had the good fortune of not running into any trouble from the outset of the exam up to now – and even better fortune of running into a group of nin dead from drowning in sand.

Oddly, the scroll they had sought to acquire was just lying there, as if whoever did the gruesome job on these hapless genin didn't even **care **about mission objectives.

Team 11 collectively narrowed their eyebrows as they thought that there was probably a bigger threat on the loose in this forest, and it could be any one of those genin teams that had entered. Then again, said threat did result in them finishing the mission much earlier than they had expected, so it all worked out fine… for the meantime.

It is during uneventful days that the paranoia most shinobi have begin to eat at their consciousness. When beneficial things happen in a short amount of time, your average shinobi becomes paranoid to the point of near-psychosis, because it is usually during the days where nothing seems to go wrong that destiny winds up and gives your ass a nice, hard kick.

Nor does it need to be said that if it were not for this paranoia, the age of Ninja would have ended soon after its birth.

In a different world and different universe altogether, an aircraft engineer would pick up on this concept and call it "Murphy's Law".

And as the second day began, Murphy's Law reared its ugly head… as it took the form of more than several large and rather venomous snakes.

* * *

The first sign that something was wrong was seeing Haruno and Inuzuka haul ass.

It was disconcerting for Uzumaki Naruto to admit to himself that he wanted his team to ambush the Uchiha's – just to knock them down a peg. Having a former ROOT ANBU and a former Mist-nin with a rare bloodline limit certainly stacked the odds in their favor.

Up to the point where he saw a rather large cobra not native to this region of Konoha slither at an unnatural speed towards their two fellow genin, Naruto thought the day would bring a simple ambush and a simple approach to the destination.

_Wishful thinking… that's what it was, and it never pays off,_ he thought as his mind wandered towards the two scrolls stashed in his pack.

* * *

Minutes had passed, and when they had crawled out of their carefully-prepared ambush, Team 11 saw a sight that bordered on grotesque.

There were snakes… **EVERYWHERE**.

Along the tree line, slithering along the ground, hidden in the branches…

…and Haku nailed a cobra aiming to strike for Sai with a tranquilizer-coated senbon needle.

"What the hell is going on?" Naruto asked. "This is like that foreign movie starring the guy with the hat and the whip!"

Sai had taken out a reticulated python with a kunai to the head and was about to see whether it really tasted like chicken when it disappeared with a strange crack and puff of smoke.

His eyes widened at the implications, and he spurred his teammates on to find Kakashi's team – immediately.

"Why would we do that?" an incredulous Naruto asked.

"These aren't mere animals. These are **summons**," Sai explained.

Haku quirked an eyebrow at the admission… what would someone who could actually **summon** – a jonin-level technique – be doing in an examination for genin?

He brushed off the technicalities of himself and Sai as mere exceptions that proved the rule, and…

…Haku's line of thought was interrupted as they circled around and calculated just where the third man in Kakashi's team was – but not before they had broken cover for Sakura and Kiba, who helped give them more specific directions as to where they had seen Sasuke last.

"You sure he was here last?"

"Positive," Sakura answered. "We'd better hurry – I don't know how long he'll last against that weird Grass genin…"

_Weird Grass genin? Okay, this is getting interesting._

Naruto and his team quickly followed suit towards where they guessed Sasuke would be.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke was on his last legs – even with the new training regimen given to him by a revitalized Kakashi-sensei, he knew he was in for it now.

He had used every trick in his arsenal, even going so far as to use the Sharingan to copy a strange jutsu the Grass-nin used (called _Senei'jashu_)_,_ and even reverse-engineering it to use wire when he found out that **THAT **jutsu used snakes.

_Out of chakra, out of techniques, out of stamina… out of options… it looks like this is it for me… _he thought.

The weird genin from Grass had now unsealed an ornate-looking sword and was about to finish the fight when…

"Sasuke-kun, hold on!" a voice cried out in the forest.

**EVERYBODY** took a few seconds from this life-and-death situation to just palm their faces at this development.

Yes, even the strange Grass genin.

_Alas, intelligence never really does equal to wisdom, _the Grass genin thought, snickering. _Looks like whoever oh-so-dumbly announced her presence has to learn this lesson the hard way,_ he added, readying the strange sword in anticipation.

_It looks like the school of hard knocks is in session, little girl._

Unfortunately, the strange genin had focused so much on the sound that he had shifted his attention away from the Uchiha for just one small moment…

…which was all Sai needed. It helped that Sakura had unleashed a large number of fun-sized explosive tags at the genin, furthering the ruse.

_These tags weren't damaging enough to prove a threat, so why would they use…?_

After warding off several hundred weak explosions, the Grass genin wheeled around at that thought and saw Sasuke nearby, still breathing heavily with exhaustion from the ongoing battle. It would have been perfect had "Sasuke" not exploded into a cloud of ink, and the genin was now beginning to get frustrated.

* * *

"I'm going back in there," Sasuke said, under the cover of several bushes.

"No, you won't. Get a grip, Mr. Uchiha," Naruto replied.

"Think a mere word of yours will stop me, huh?" he asked, his whisper turning murderously hostile.

"No, just asking you to think it through. But… if you still want to go back in there…" he added, readying a brace of kunai, "it'd be better to do it with backup **and** a plan, right?" Naruto asked, flashing that foxy grin of his.

Sasuke hmmphed. _Might as well. After all, this guy was the best at the Academy in Strategy and Tactics._ "All right, we'll do it with a plan. Don't think I'm doing this 'cause you said so."

"Never crossed my mind," Naruto said as Sasuke gobbled up half a soldier pill.

A minute later, both genin had sprung from their hiding place, their makeshift plan ready.

"Got any exploding tags on you, Mr. Uzumaki?"

* * *

"And here I thought the old man would have found a better use for you… boy," the Grass genin who had introduced himself as Orochimaru said.

Sai's eyes narrowed.

"…that ink clone was very good, too. Who would have thought that a ROOT reject like you would end up on a genin team…" the serpentine ninja added.

"So what if I am… a reject?"

"Enjoy being stuck at genin, then."

He charged.

The slash came in straight and true.

But Sai just… exploded into a cloud of smoke.

One disorienting moment later, a Grand Fireball came rushing his way – forcing Orochimaru to bend a bit to avoid the bad part of the blast, only to feel a strange sensation near the seat of his pants.

A searing pain traveled up him, and then… there was a large explosion.

* * *

"Excellent work, Mr. Uzumaki."

"You've done quite a decent job yourself if I may say so, Mr. Uchiha."

"Now, we have to deal with the tricky part: retreating."

"As it should be, Mr. Uchiha."

Their inane dialogue was short-lived as a new combatant had entered the fray… or not. It looked like that this strange genin had peeled off his/her skin, revealing his true form: that of a long-haired, pale-skinned, serpentine-eyed ninja.

Those bizarre eyes creeped everyone in the vicinity out, and then he charged at Naruto, sword drawn.

"Do you still have some wire in stock, Mr. Uchiha? Bit of a bind here, old chap." Naruto said as he barely managed to dodge Orochimaru's wide slash.

"All out," Sasuke answered.

An errant slice that would have chopped Naruto's head off ended up only disrupting an ink clone.

"Thanks," Naruto told Sai when they had gone into cover again. "Where's the rest of the gang?"

"Somewhere safe… that guy's an S-ranked missing-nin named Orochimaru. If you don't mind, I already had the three of them head for safer territory."

"Not too far, this place is the Forest of Death after all," Naruto replied as they dodged another attack by Orochimaru. "What could be his business here?"

"Probably the Uchiha."

"Probably?" Naruto asked as they went from one safe spot to another, firing off several shuriken as a distraction.

"…I'm not privy to the details."

"Ugh, be like that," Naruto said as he backed off a bit to let Sai fire off another ink-based attack at the snake nin.

"We'll have to hold him off for now."

"That goes without saying," Naruto said as they went back into the fray.

* * *

If there was one time Uzumaki Naruto hated being lucky, this was it.

Not only was the Uchiha out for the count **again** with chakra depletion (_for all his genius, guy doesn't know how to properly budget his chakra,_ Naruto thought wryly), but just when the snake freak's neck began stretching towards the incapacitated Uchiha, Naruto and Sai took this opportunity to bum-rush him.

Sai was swatted out of the way but quickly recovered, and was about to push Sasuke out of the way when Naruto dashed in and pulled off a passable copy of the Konoha Senpuu on Orochimaru's inert form.

Unfortunately, the impact of his flying kick caused the Snake Sannin's stretched-out neck to flail randomly…

…randomly meaning his head bounded towards Sai's neck, and there the snake freak bit down.

The former ROOT ANBU dropped in a heap and began convulsing, clutching at his neck.

The sight of his teammate disabled with one mere attack caused rage to pulse through Naruto's veins, flooding his chakra coils once more with the potent demonic chakra of the Nine-Tailed Fox.

Orochimaru turned to Sasuke, but saw a strange red blur just outside of his line of sight before an enraged Naruto shoulder-tackled him into a nearby clearing.

"Get Sai and Sasuke out of here!" Naruto bellowed before taking the conflict in a different direction.

* * *

He knew it was pointless, futile and altogether foolish.

But it was the way he'd been taught: by the Third Hokage, his aunt Precia, Alicia-oneechan, Haku-chan, and his fellow Konoha Genin Sentai Squadron.

Maybe it was this power to protect those precious to him that had him carrying on even though by all rights he should be fleeing.

Instead he was here and trading shots, avoiding summoned snakes, and scoring hits on mud clones against a powerful missing-nin intent on capturing the Uchiha.

The point was, he didn't even **LIKE** the Uchiha at all! He was snarky, always frowning, and had his head shoved up someplace most of the time.

…but that was before he found himself in a life-or-death situation. Naruto had to admit, the variation they came up with on the _Sennen Goroshi_ was a splendid piece of work.

_Damn it, why do I get all introspective and stuff while I'm fighting?_

_**You can think about those things when this is all over. For now, focus on the fight!**_

_Yeah, yeah…_

He threw out a fully telegraphed feint that had the Snake Sannin biting, only for his follow-up to be parried and thrown several feet with a thrust kick to the gut.

"Ah, this is now becoming interesting…" Orochimaru hissed. "To think you'd actually cooperate with that monster inside you…"

Naruto dashed back in, enraged. **"The fox is NOT a monster!" **he yelled, kunai at the ready.

He landed a few solid shots on Orochimaru with rage flowing in his veins, but one quick jab to the side of the head with the butt of that strange sword, and everything suddenly faded to black…

* * *

"How is he?" Sakura asked Haku.

"Not good," Haku answered. "He's burning up, and I don't know if he'll make it."

They had quickly picked up Sai and Sasuke from the previous battlefield and were about to make it out of there when they saw the strange red aura surrounding Naruto fizzle out completely.

He was standing there like a sitting duck while Orochimaru charged at him.

Haku and Sakura were about to scream at him to move, but the sound died in their throats…

* * *

After that last attack that left this strange dark blue-wearing genin reeling, Orochimaru grinned. _Little bastard reminds me of that other annoying blonde_. The blow to the side of the head with the butt of the Kusanagi was designed to send anyone who got hit with it useless on their feet.

Sure of his victory, the Snake Sannin rushed in for a lethal attack…

…when the blonde genin had raised his head and glared at him with his eyes having a strange blue-gray tint to them.

And before Orochimaru could bridge the gap between them, let alone finish it with that sword, Naruto vanished. No puff of smoke, no whiz of motion, no tinge of chakra. Nothing.

One moment he was there, gazing at Orochimaru with those machine-like eyes, and another, he was… gone.

_Vanished? He couldn't be moving that fast unless he was using cha-_

Orochimaru's thoughts were cut off as he felt a heel suddenly crash into his cheek.

And just as abruptly, Naruto disappeared again.

Only pure reflex action had saved the Snake Sannin from being gutted like a fish from a wide kunai slash that he parried at the last moment.

He growled in anger and decided there was no holding back any more.

* * *

Haku and Sakura were tending to their respective teammates' well-being when they took a moment to watch the fight – even if Naruto had asked them to leave the area as soon as possible. They had thought this to be extremely foolhardy, but after seeing the heretofore most capable member of both their teams get bitten and marked with a strange seal for his trouble, that was sensible advice.

The nin who had identified himself as Orochimaru went at Naruto with deft, graceful sword swings that were designed to either kill or maim – yet the boy managed to evade them with even more finesse than any of them had ever seen in a genin.

"Unbelievable…" was all Sakura could say at the spectacle.

Kiba was all about to throw himself back in the fight when he was restrained by Haku and Sakura.

"We're not in any shape to be helping him out… we should be taking care of other…"

Haku never got to finish his sentence as he leapt aside and shoved Kiba and Sakura out of the way of a compressed air blast that would have knocked them all out – at best.

"Oi, Zaku, your aim's a bit off," a derisive female voice came from the source of the blast.

"Shut the hell up, Kin – this won't take long."

As the three voices started bickering, Haku was outlining a whispered plan to the two genin…

_You have to get me in range to use my Ice Mirrors._

_Ice Mirrors? Won't they shatter from that blast awhile back?_

_Let me worry about that, Sakura. You look after Sasuke and Sai. Kiba, we'll need to coordinate to get through this… you ready?_

_Damn straight I am… let's do this._

_

* * *

_

_How… how did this happen?_

_I don't know… our link at the time was too strong, and that last shot disrupted it completely, sending you here._

_Here… wait a minute. If you're here… and I'm here… then who's fighting outside?_

_Get back in there and find out! Remember, if you die, I die too!_

The meadow was once again populated by one.

* * *

Orochimaru was at his wit's end. Not only was this Uzumaki Naruto suddenly much faster, but his attacks had a lot more potency. At first, each of the glancing hits didn't seem to damage much, but as the fight went on, it seemed like each of his punches had a lingering effect, wearing out the Snake Sannin with each sudden movement.

It was only when he had lucked out and nailed Naruto with a spin kick that sent him into the trunk of a tree that three words had shocked him even further than the beating he had received.

As Naruto raised his head and glared at the rogue ninja, his blue eyes had lost the dull gray tint, and were playing along the edges of purple.

Orochimaru could sense the boy use his chakra to feel out his surroundings, as if he was unsure of where he was.

Three words echoed in the space between them.

**"…**_**Just as practiced."**_

Naruto looked at the dagger strapped to his side holster, and immediately understood.

**"**_**Prepare yourself, Meister," **_it announced.

Orochimaru's serpentine eyes widened. _A talking kunai?_

"We're not finished yet," Naruto said, drawing the strange kunai and returning to his fighting stance. To Orochimaru's surprise, the boy was now wielding two of these daggers when a moment ago, he just saw one.

He readied the Kusanagi for the inevitable charge… and Naruto obliged by closing the distance between them in a flash.

A clash of metal resounded in the forest as three Sound nin readied themselves to finish their targets off…

* * *

Alicia and her team were still in position for springing an ambush. While they had acquired the scrolls required in near-record time, the three of them had agreed to support their fellow squad mates and their teams as much as they could. There was also the matter of the team from Hidden Cloud, which - given their history - would probably make a try for Hinata should they break from cover.

It was when Alicia had felt the pull of mana that was Reynard going into combat mode that she had become nervous.

She knew Naruto had become a skilled genin over time, but a cardinal ninja rule is to 'expect the unexpected'.

As she felt Reynard's power begin to flare up, she hoped he wouldn't bite off more than he could chew.

* * *

Naruto was now at a disadvantage again – he had now understood that he didn't have the reach required to nail the Snake Sannin cleanly. Reynard may be the coolest Device he had the honor of partnering with, but against a sword like the Kusanagi and a skilled swordsman at that, the odds were still stacked against him.

He also wasn't that dumb to know that Orochimaru knew this, too, and was playing the battle between them like some sort of game where luck played no such factor.

The way this was going was that Naruto had been on the defensive ever since charging at Orochimaru, and he was running out of tricks, stamina, and luck.

"As it stands, while you have given me a very entertaining show…" he said, breaking Naruto's guard with every slash of his sword, "you only have a five percent chance of defeating me now. The time for posturing is past."

_Five percent… FIVE PERCENT? Is this schmuck trying to mess with my head?_

_Try to remember… Ha! Who cares if it's five, one, or zero percent! Percentages are nothing to those who go beyond the impossible! Screw everything, I'm going to defy the odds!_

Naruto rolled to the side evasively after another one-handed blow crushed his guard stance again.

_But how do I do it?_

_**Visualize the target, and project your will towards where you want your energy to be. I shall do the rest.**_

_Weren't we… you know, incompatible?_

_**That rehearsal allowed me to adjust to your unique physiology, Meister. Do it, as we have only one chance.**_

Naruto's brows narrowed as he made up his mind. It was either death or glory, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

As Orochimaru went for the coup de grace, Naruto raised his arms and crossed them over his head in an X-block.

_What a fool! Leaving his midsection wide open? Unless…_

The boy brought his arms down in a slashing motion.

"_**Donner-Schnitt."**_

Orochimaru screamed.

* * *

As it turned out, Naruto's little gambit had paid off handsomely – not only for him, but also for the three Konoha genin nearby.

Kiba was just about spent against the Sound-nin named Zaku – those strange wave attacks had knocked him and Akamaru around nicely – but he wasn't out of it yet!

A scream nearby had diverted Zaku's attention, and it was probably the biggest mistake he had ever made ever since getting his forehead protector, as this was all Kiba needed as he dashed in, wound up his leg and punted the Sound-nin right in the jewels.

Zaku turned blue before grabbing his crotch and falling to the ground in a comical heap.

Kin, on the other hand, did not flinch at Orochimaru's scream, but she did stop for a bit when she heard the crunch and the squish nearby.

_Zabuza-sama didn't train me to make mistakes like this,_ Haku thought as he exploited the lull to emerge from an ice window and knock the Sound kunoichi out with a senbon to the neck. _No sense killing such a cute girl._

As she slipped into unconsciousness, her hand jerked, brushing over a sensitive part of the strange ice-using kunoichi's anatomy, only to realize…

"…y-y-you're…" was all she could say before she blacked out completely.

Dosu, meanwhile, was just about to put the final touches on Sakura when a hand made of blood sprung from somewhere behind him and nailed the Sound nin on the side of his head with a hook punch.

A picture-perfect sucker punch, and Dosu staggered for a bit on his feet before Sakura had channeled the more aggressive aspect of her personality into a fist and finished the job with an uppercut to the jaw.

* * *

"It worked!" Naruto said, seeing the snake Sannin clutch his eyes after the wave of energy released by Reynard had struck him square in the face.

_**If I were you, we'd get out of here immediately, Meister.**_

_I agree with Reynard. We should make haste out of… what the hell is __**THAT**__?_

Their thoughts were interrupted when a most noxious presence filled the area.

_This is…!_

Naruto needed no prodding from either his Device or the Kyuubi to head straight for the source of the toxic chakra, and dashed off towards the strange presence. Upon his arrival though, he was repulsed and intrigued at what he saw.

The source of the sickening chakra was Sai… and he… was changing.

Black blotches were racing across his face, mutating to various shapes.

He still had this insane grin on his face.

"Yes…" a voice came from the former ROOT ANBU as he felt the Seal activate. "Yes… this is the last piece… of the puzzle…"

Leveling a knowing glare at Naruto before the blotches stabilized and vanished from his skin, Sai suddenly lost his balance and fell over, unconscious once more.

The rest of Teams 7 and 11 surveyed the situation: the Sound team was knocked silly, and there was a temporarily incapacitated but still **very scary** ninja just a small distance away… and when he would be fit to pursue once more, he would most likely do so with a lot more hostility.

Team 11 had a man down, Team 7 wasn't in that good shape either - Sasuke was still out of it due to repeated chakra exhaustion; Kiba and Sakura were also rather roughed up.

It took the four of them mere moments to decide on the next course of action: a hasty retreat.

They quickly took to the trees, Naruto's Kage Bunshin carrying their incapacitated teammates as they headed deeper into the Forest of Death to mark out a defensive position.

The following three days were the most harrowing as they had to pack up and go every couple of hours: there were traps, genin teams they had to hide from (as both teams had the requisite scrolls), and at the very end, a field chock-full of snakes.

Sakura, it seemed, had not noticed the gradually increasing number of serpents around their camp site until morning arrived, and when the sun had illuminated the tree line there were more snakes than Naruto had first encountered on his second day in this forest.

"Sorry if I wasn't of much help," Sakura said.

"No harm done. Snakes are meant to be sneaky," Haku replied. "At least the Uchiha is already up and running."

"Not at a hundred percent though," Sasuke said, still a bit winded even after taking a two-day rest.

"Help me out with one thing: why all the snakes?" Kiba asked.

"They've gotten desperate," Haku remarked, "for them to do a mass snake summoning just to draw the Uchiha out."

"What do they want with him, anyway?" Kiba asked.

"My eyes," Sasuke said. He was still a bit unsure on his feet and his chakra reserves were not completely recovered, but he was good to go to the objective. "It's a family thing."

"Ah," Haku replied.

"Okay," Kiba added. "Right, so… we'll be dragging our asses out of here now, but what about the snakes?"

That last mention of the word "snakes" had one Uzumaki Naruto finally snap.

"Snakes… snakes… first there were these snakes outside the camp on day two, then that snake bastard shows up, **and now this!**" It was a very indignant and at-the-end-of-his-proverbial-rope Naruto who stood up and brandished Reynard while yelling "**Enough is enough! I have had it with these monkey-spanking snakes on this money-grubbing forest!** Everybody pack up – I'm about to make us a freaking path!"

Uzumaki Naruto's hands formed the seals for his trademark technique.

* * *

Teams 7 and 11 made a good pace towards the tower – Naruto using a mass Kage Bunshin to hold off the snakes while they made their escape was one of his most inspired ideas. Kiba said that Team 7 owed them a lot, which Naruto and Haku just waved off – "it's what ninjas of the Leaf do," was their explanation.

Haku grinned a bit; it was good to see him put his imagination to good use. It was also just their luck that he knew about Naruto and Alicia's collusion – they had originally planned this to knock around Team 7 for a lark, but had quickly gone serious after that run-in with Orochimaru.

* * *

At the very end of it, there was something… off about their teammate.

During the time Sai was up and about, he was the one acting in the role of the leader; but now that he was under from that freaky seal, it now stood between Haku and Naruto. Truth be told, Haku was very skilled, but the short time they had shared as a team showed that he was more suited to be a follower (remembering that Haku had related to the weird guy who had fought with their sensei as his master before). Sai wasn't that much of a talker, either, but what little he said when under the influence of that seal chilled Naruto to the core. _Someone should take a look at him, and quickly, _he thought.

Fortunately, when Naruto had tactfully suggested the topic to his girly-looking teammate, Haku had immediately agreed.

Team 11 and Team 7 had gone their separate ways a few hours before, with Kakashi's team getting a head start to the target area and Team 11 following behind. Well into the fourth day of the exam, Alicia had discreetly messaged Naruto that most of the higher-profile teams had made it to the target area with little to no trouble. Team 8 had stayed behind to ensure their teammates would at the very least finish the exam in as good a shape as a potentially lethal exam would allow (and to make sure that the team from Cloud would finish first so that the coast was clear for them to make a move to the objective).

Thus, it was with Naruto using a henge'd Kage Bunshin to carry Sai's unconscious form that Team Precia discreetly followed Team Kakashi towards the designated target area.

As they neared the objective, they had nearly gone into a run-in with a team from Mist – but Team 11 had the good fortune to not register with them as they saw Konoha's Team 8 as higher-profile targets.

_Yeah, right, higher profile my ass, _Naruto thought as he saw one of the Mist genin fly through the horizon, crashing into several boughs then crashing into the forest floor – he could almost smell the crackles and the chakra used in the technique, so that must have been Alicia-oneechan's work.

Another Mist genin took several limping steps before clutching his elbow in pain and dropping unconscious.

This had "someone-got-Gentle-Fisted-the-crap-out-of-them-by-Hinata" all over it.

The tail end of the journey was a bit smoother, as Team 8 had made it to the tower unmolested a few hours back, so that was one less worry off Naruto's mind. Team 11 had run into the glasses-clad genin who (according to him) was separated from his teammates. Seeing the ink-slinger nin injured, he volunteered to be an impromptu third member until they had reached the tower and/or Kabuto's teammates. (Again, Leaf, stick together, you get the idea.)

They had parted ways with the silver-haired genin after Haku-chan spotted Misumi and Yoroi a few clicks from their ultimate destination. And true to form, Sai regained consciousness a few minutes later.

"What… happened?" he asked.

"We'll sort it out later, Sai-san," Naruto replied. "We're almost at the Tower."

Thankfully, Sai was mobile enough to carry after himself for the short trip to the Tower… after processing the instructions written on a sign the tower wall regarding the scrolls, a familiar yellow crackle of electricity signaled the arrival of their jonin-sensei (or a Kage Bunshin as the case may be).

"Congratulations… but what happened to Sai?" was the first thing she asked.

All three of them pretended not to notice his icy glare. "We'll tell you after we get to the tower proper," Haku said.

Precia-sensei could only nod at her genin's suggestion, and when they had reached the Tower, she began debriefing her genin while Sai went to a medic-nin to get himself looked at.

"We ran into this really powerful kunoichi from Grass… she said she was some ninja named Orochimaru or something… she had cornered the Uchiha from Team 7 and we helped out," Naruto said.

"Orochimaru…?" Precia asked, careful not to betray her current mood: about to freak out. "What else happened?"

"We got into a fight, he / she / it was even stronger than we thought, sensei…" Haku answered, "…it took us everything we knew and then some, but we barely kept up with him, even if it was six on one. He was going after the Uchiha, but Naruto blindsided him at the last moment so he bit Sai instead… then some seal appeared near where he was bitten and Sai fell unconscious."

"…Both of them were out of it for more than two days," Naruto added. "I managed to get a lucky shot on that guy right between the eyes so we could get away… and from there it was nothing but traps, hiding, and those accursed snakes. Sai only woke up again a few moments before we got here."

"… And if you're wondering about Kakashi-san's team, we had them go on ahead. There is still some time before this exam ends, right sensei?" Haku asked.

"Yes… they had arrived here around two hours before you did. There was a field near their destination that was modified to try and trap them, but they made it and are recuperating now," Precia-sensei said. "Congratulations on passing, now take a rest."

They were led into a waiting room where a few hours would pass before the last part of the exams would begin.

* * *

A man was perched on a tree branch, looking out over the gates of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

_It's been a long time since I was last here… I wonder how my old friends are…_

He reached into his coat and pulled out the weathered scroll he had procured from another old friend.

_Come to think of it, there wasn't anyone here who could summon these guys before. Would this be a first?_

Then he had remembered the Shadow that had heralded the true start of the era of the Ninja, centuries before the Sage of Six Paths even walked the earth.

_From history, to myth, to legend._

_I'm sure people would like to see these legends come back to life._

There were simply no such things as coincidences: three Devices - that were part of the same group of heroes in a different world - getting together was approaching improbability.

_If that's the case, then the Universe probably has its reasons for them to meet; not my place to question why._

As he walked towards Konoha, he backtracked to that time he slipped up.

_One slip, and it was nearly lethal for this village._

_I've screwed up so many times, but it's rare that I'm given a chance to fix things._

_Not gonna screw up this chance, no, sir._

_Won't get fooled again, no, no._

Resisting the urge to pull out his sunglasses and make a pithy comment (complete with visual and auditory genjutsu of a voice screaming "yeah!" and an orange afternoon sky), he walked through the gates, and into the Village...

_

* * *

_

Haku looked at the calendar and clock posted near the resting lounge. _We have twelve hours to go before the next step begins._ Naruto was looking out the window, and Sai had not returned from the medic-nins.

The feminine-looking ninja decided to meditate and replenish the chakra reserves he had used up taking out that kunoichi from Sound. While his chakra reserves were slowly filling up, he could not shake off the worry he felt for his teammate - as if that seal placed on him was a terrible sign of things to come.

_I hope everything ends up working out..._ he thought.

He closed his eyes and returned to his meditation.

Chapter 13 – **END**

_**Author's Notes:**_

1. I actually have very little to go on to make Uchiha Sasuke a compelling character. Most of his motivations and actions are caused by those around him, so I don't feel contempt for him but pity. He says he's trying to do something on his own, but he's just a puppet on a string right now (in the manga).

2. Things are starting to heat up here. First things first – the preliminary tournament, and then the in-between training sessions leading up to the finals. This is where everything comes to a head and canon starts going out the window.

3. Using the same type changes for both Kyuubi and Reynard can be a bit cumbersome. To make this easier, I'll have Reynard address Naruto as "Meister" constantly to keep it from becoming confusing.

4. The prelims are where EPIC THINGS™ start to happen. Not to mention the epic training in between the finals, that'll be a doozy to write.

Again, please leave a review if you found this story intriguing. I know I should have changed up the pacing a little bit, but I want to keep this story as consistent as possible. Any bit of help in making any past and future chapters will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!


	14. Victory Road

_disclaimer: _Naruto and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha are not mine. Isn't it sad, Sacchin?

You already know most of what I mean to add here about writer's block and getting a life having priority over this work. While I will try to update as frequently as I can, remember Murphy's Law and that I will still do my best to keep schedule in spite of that.

Here's your Preliminary Examinations, with a bit of things changed over.

*2010-03-06 EDIT: Added the rest of the Alicia vs. Tenten fight.*

* * *

_**NARUTO: ARCANE HEART**_

**Chapter 14 – Victory Road**

While most of the more skilled genin teams had already arrived, it took everyone else a long time to make it to the Tower - where the next stage of the Chuunin Exams would take place.

_Just as well that most of us made it here first,_ Uzumaki Naruto thought. These last few hours will have most of the remaining teams scrambling to beat the time limit - most of them who probably grabbed their scroll early and hid out to hide.

And in this quiet time, while Haku-chan was busy meditating to recover from chakra exhaustion and Sai was being tended to for that bizarre seal that Orochimaru fellow put on him, Naruto spent his time at the tower's gallery, looking out into the forest.

Thinking... about things.

* * *

At the beginning, he had first figured his Aunt Precia for a bizarre dichotomy of traits: one minute she was the caring mother and guardian, and the next she was hovering close to slave driver with the way she put him through the wringer, ensuring that he did his schoolwork consistently and correctly.

Ah, the wonders of the written word.

He might not be a bookworm now, but he'd made great strides from when he was a child - he was borderline allergic to the stuff then.

The strange thing about it was that he had gotten the implied message faster than he did his schoolwork. Maybe it was because when it came to his education, it was always catch phrases with her. Precia-san latched onto the fact that the easiest way to get to him was with few words and many implications (ever since that time when the three of them watched that show together).

Ninjas adapt. It's what we do.

The mind is a ninja's greatest weapon.

A little hard work can go a long way.

And the last one, which his doting aunt had so callously pulled from his favorite show during his first year in the Academy: believe in me, who believes in you.

And through all this, Alicia couldn't simply explain why her Mother, while exceedingly caring and affectionate towards them, became someone else when it came to the subject of intelligence, wisdom, and knowledge.

Putting more than just a little effort into looking "underneath the underneath" revealed that his Aunt Precia was actually some sort of researcher / scientist / intellectual before she ended up in Konoha for reasons she still wouldn't completely disclose.

Made sense, if you asked anyone.

Anyone but a Konoha-nin, as picking apart situations like these for their supposed inconsistencies was their specialty – seeing "underneath the underneath", so the old ninja saying went.

More thinking led him to a strange conclusion.

The fox wasn't his ally.

Never was.

While he would continue to be cordial to the fox (he'd had enough of his guardian drumming into him the importance of courtesy) everything it would say from this point on would have to be taken with a sack of salt.

Several, if it could be arranged.

His eyes narrowed as he looked to the sky and started stretching that line of thought just a bit further.

Why would a malevolent engine of chaos and destruction go the extra mile to make itself appear harmless to him in his mind?

Scratch that, why would the fox willingly cooperate with him during that fight with the Grass-nin?

Frustration played over his face. Doing things in a roundabout manner of half-truth and ploy after ploy of analysis and deconstruction was getting to him... if it was really up to him, he'd go up to the fox and demand to be spoken to without anything up both their sleeves, and get everything that needed to be addressed out into the open.

Believe that!

* * *

Since he could remember, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox lived his life according to four simple words.

Full power. Total destruction.

It was in the fiber of his being to revel in the chaos of destruction, for that was what he was, and it was only during this time that his soul felt joy.

Yes, it was only during the midst of blowing things up that the fox felt peace.

There were two things that changed this: the sealing process had worked, but the Kyuubi had just realized that the bastard Fourth only thought of him as a chakra construct.

He grunted. Humans either thought in too simple terms or too complex. Rarely would you see someone who actually bothered to harmonize and remain harmonized with the delicate balance of order and chaos (yes, Konoka-chan, even tailed beasts do have a sense of balance).

That sealing had left him a snarling, raving monster – an exact replica of the being that had rampaged towards Konoha all those years ago (and even before that).

And then when the kid nearly died on his account, he had intervened on pure self-preservative instinct. Thus, someone else had found out and took advantage of the situation.

* * *

"My God... what happened to you?" the voice said, with horror.

"Why would you turn your needless pity towards one such as I?"

"...The sealing... but that means..."

"I am bound here. Happy?"

"No... No... I am not... happy. You're not... balanced now."

Was that sorrow the fox felt in this man's voice? _No... What humans see in me is someone to be feared or to be used._

_But... why would someone who could actually subdue me feel such sorrow?_

"Thank you, Captain Obvious. This is a stupid seal."

"You mean that despite the genius of the seal master… he barely caught a train going in the wrong direction."

Surprised at the sudden injection of humor into the conversation, the fox let out a massive laugh.

"You have a warped sense of humor."

"I'm glad you do... wait. Do you still remember?"

The fox shook its great head 'no'.

"There was a flash in your eyes. You do remember, even if you think you don't."

A man appeared before the fox, cradling a sleeping Naruto in his arms. He let down the child, and began an elaborate series of hand seals.

"This just means there is still a little hope left."

"Hope...?"

The man smiled one of the saddest smiles the fox had ever seen. "Even if you have no hope for this world... even if the world has no hope for someone like you..."

He finished the elaborate sequence of hand seals, setting a hand down as he activated something.

"...I have hope for you. Kuchiyose: Ura Edo Tensei!"

A bizarre mix of orange was all that was left in the fox's mind as it tumbled further into the upgraded seal.

* * *

Before, the fox could only feel peace as it tore through places and things with a ferocity that overshadowed its power.

Now, though, sitting in the meadow, sifting through its memories and just plain thinking to sort himself out had a calming effect on him.

It was strange.

Too strange.

But it felt somehow familiar...

The fox was now chafing in anger as what had been a trickle of his previous memories was now returning to him in a gradually faster fashion.

Memories that had spanned time, even before he had volunteered–

_Wait, what?_

He grunted again.

_Damn that f***ing trick eye. All it did was hold my memories over my head like a carrot on a string..._

Right then and there, he made his choice.

Escaping the seal was now his second priority.

Recovering his heritage was now his first.

Identity.

Legacy.

The words were but the vaguest of vague human concepts, but now that he had reached an understanding of his and his jailor's circumstances, the meanings stood out clearly.

Perhaps this was the reason all along that the seal was modified, the fox thought as it returned to sleep in the meadow.

_Uzumaki Naruto, should you but ask, I shall assist you in any way I can. All I wish for in return is that you assist me in my personal quest._

Unknown to both of them, the seal started glowing...

* * *

En route to Konoha, Jiraiya the Toad Sage had the distinct feeling that something had shifted in the checks and balances of time and space. But as he had more pressing things to deal with (like the resurgence of a certain Orochimaru), he would put off his talk with Fukusaku-sama about this strange feeling.

And he hoped that the little brat would still be in one piece upon his return.

* * *

Both jonin-sensei were at the gallery, looking at the people going to and fro, making last-minute preparations for the next part of the Chunin Exams. The exam committee had not expected this many teams to advance, and so were at their wit's end compensating for that.

One found it humorous, the other annoying.

But one of them had her attention focused towards the dark blue-wearing genin near the lounge, looking out the window.

"Testarossa-san, you don't seem yourself," Yugito Nii began.

"Well," Precia replied, "I might not be able to tell you the whole story, but just keep an extra watchful eye over your genin."

"Thank you, I will."

She nodded, and felt Naruto's presence move closer to them.

"Precia-san..." he said.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Um... I really don't need to be resting, so can I work on my forms alone before my exam starts?"

Precia looked strangely at her ward.

"Why would you want to do that?"

"It's just... I'll tell you afterward, okay? I just need to start as quickly as I can before I forget it."

Precia nodded understandingly. "Of course, I'll just have someone drop you a line when the Finals will begin, all right?"

Naruto nodded respectfully to his sensei and the Cloud jonin-sensei before running towards a vacant conference room.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto had nearly shut the world out completely as he did some last-minute training. As the hours ticked by before the start of the third part of the Chunin Exams, he further refined his kunai and dagger form under the supervision of Reynard and the Kyuubi.

While he resolved to never take what the fox told him at face value, Reynard didn't veto these minor adjustments the fox did to his fighting form. Naruto found it simply strange... when he asked his Device how and why it was able to take physical control over him, it answered with a mere mention of a "link".

He put away the question this posed for the time being and focused on his blocks, counters, and attacks.

Reynard had once given him the bit of advice to work with his forms as slowly as he could for his body to adjust to the movements and for his muscles to memorize them. Slowly... slowly... slowly... and when he sensed an incoming kunai heading for him, he merely ducked his head to the side and evaded it completely.

"Nice dodge, kid," Mitarashi Anko said as she entered the conference room. "Time's up, all the other genin teams are assembled at the arena below."

He opened his eyes and wheeled towards the special jonin.

"Thank you, Mitarashi-san," he said politely as he re-sheathed his Device and followed her outside.

Upon reaching the ground floor there was ordered chaos as various chunin and jonin teams were finishing last-minute preparations while the Hokage was standing by an electronic billboard, overseeing the process.

_There were this many passers? _Naruto asked himself as he made his way towards where he thought his team would be.

"Naruto-kun, over here," a dainty voice called out to him.

"Haku-chan," he responded, walking towards his teammate.

"You think Sai will make it to the prelims?" the girly nin asked.

"Prelims?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, because there were so many teams who successfully made it, they added a preliminary tournament before the actual Finals take place," Haku explained.

"It's all up to the medic-nin, I guess… that thing on his neck really bothers me, though."

Haku only nodded as they walked carefully through the galleries, looking for their sensei.

As things went, Naruto and Haku found their jonin-sensei near a corner of the gallery talking to Team 10's jonin-sensei – who was with his respective genin as well.

"Precia-sensei," Naruto said as they went in closer.

"Oh, good timing, Naruto, Haku…" Precia began. "One of the matches has already concluded."

"It has?"

"Well, let Akimichi-san's teammates tell you the results."

Naruto looked over to where a large man he thought was Asuma-sensei consoling a rather distraught Chouji while Ino and Shikamaru looked on.

"What happened, Shika?" he asked.

"Eh, Chouji lost," Shikamaru replied. "He did, however, take his foe down with him. That stray katana hit caused Chouji to lose control over his technique, and though he was already out, he nailed that Shinta guy with a massive punch that broke him. Shinta may have won, but he won't be in any shape to compete in the finals."

"That's a relief," Ino said.

"How can you be saying that, Ino?" Chouji said. "I-I-I might have destroyed his ninja career!"

"Eh, and the guy lets something slip about your size and you flip out on him, and now this?" Naruto asked, assuming something had provoked Chouji into actually knocking someone into next month. Shikamaru was about to fire off another comment when the PA system boomed out an announcement: _"Kaburagi Aria and Akado Yoroi, please head towards the arena floor within five minutes. The next preliminary match will be Kaburagi Aria and Akado Yoroi, please head towards the arena floor within five minutes."_

The two participants made it in time, and during the fight (which was a rather boring affair, actually - the chakra-draining technique did not work on metal) Haku noticed Ino glaring at him as if he had horns on his head. After several agonizing minutes, she finally got the courage to step towards Haku and strike up a conversation.

"So, you're Haku, right?"

"Yes, I am, Yamanaka-san." _Naruto and Alicia had briefed me on their fellow genin…_

"Hmm… well, this **is** the first time we've spoken. Want to know why?"

"Know why? Please, do tell, Yamanaka-san."

"I just… make it a policy not to make friends with kunoichi who are as adorable as I am! I don't need **anyone else** drawing attention away from me! So stay away from me, got it? Is that all sinking in?" Ino ranted, and Haku swore he could see a vein popping up on the side of the blonde's head, and did the best thing he could – he nodded.

"Oh, and I forgot one thing!" Ino added. "You can't come near me, but I expect you to fully back me up as your senior kunoichi, all right? We all serve Konoha, right? I mean, we're the same? Well, you're much older, but you still need to follow the rules!"

"Of course, Yamanaka-san… but…" Haku said.

"'But' what… do you have any objection?" Ino snarled.

"No… I'm not objecting, Yamanaka-san… it's just…"

"Why do you have to be such an annoyance? Cut that _yamato nadeshiko_ crap and tell me, already!" Ino almost yelled.

"I-I'm not a kunoichi, so… so…"

"**NOT **a kunoichi?"

"Yes…"

"But… but… but if you're not a kunoichi, then that means you're a guy, right?"

Haku finally got over his panic. "Yes… yes, I am."

Yamanaka Ino was thus silent throughout the preliminaries until her match with Sakura, and Haku's admission of his gender coincided with the kunoichi from Cloud knocking out Yoroi – that armored gauntlet she was wearing was actually saturated with electricity and not just thunder-element chakra. When Yoroi touched it, the sheer power the gauntlet had zapped him silly, giving the redhead the match.

Shikamaru turned towards Haku. "What'd you tell Ino?"

"Er, nothing," Haku said, "nothing important."

"It's troublesome having to deal with her usual noisy self, but she's been rather out of it for awhile now. Just what did you tell her?"

"Nothing worth losing sleep over, Nara-san," Haku replied. "She just started telling me about how she thought I was as adorable as she, then she zoned out when I said I was a guy."

A sly glint appeared in the corner of the Nara's eye as he popped a rare smile.

"Good one, Haku," he said before returning to his teammates.

"_The next match will be Alicia Testarossa versus Tenten. Will both participants, please head to the arena floor within five minutes? The next preliminary match will be Alicia Testarossa versus Tenten, please head towards the arena floor within five minutes."_

Alicia's eyebrows were moving up and down in anticipation of her first serious match. She tugged on the collar of her vaguely tiger-striped jacket with both of her hands as she strode purposefully towards the arena floor. _My opponent will be one of my senpai, huh?_ Alicia asked as she gracefully leaped onto the arena, where her opponent and the third proctor – a jonin using a senbon for a toothpick – awaited.

"This should be interesting," Shiranui Genma said to no one in particular, before motioning both participants to come closer for the pre-match huddle.

"You win by either knocking out or making your opponent submit. Lethal force is frowned upon, but not totally disapproved of. Just do your best, all right?" he asked the two kunoichi, who nodded.

"All right, to your corners, then," he said.

When they reached their respective corners, the proctor cleared his throat. "Third preliminary match: Alicia Testarossa versus Tenten!" He swung his head towards Alicia. "You ready?" he asked, which Alicia answered with a nod, her Device glimmering. "You ready?" he asked again, this time to Tenten, who also nodded while about to grab something from her back pouch.

**"****Let's get it on!" **Genma shouted as he signaled the start of the match.

And then, the two kunoichi did a strange thing.

They both folded their hands and bowed.

A metallic voice broke the silence that followed.

_**"**__**Spellblade Mode. Standby."**_

Barely a moment passed when Tenten began her assault: half a dozen kunai thrown with eerie speed and precision, which were parried by that strange ninja sword Alicia was now holding.

Alicia took this time to shift to attacking, throwing her own set of shuriken to gauge how her odango-wearing opponent would react. And react she did, as Tenten shocked everyone by doing a quick series of hand seals, unrolled a blank scroll and spun around gracefully, catching and sealing the thrown shuriken within it.

_This is something new._

_**En garde, Master.**_

There was another exchange of weaponry, and even though Alicia's form had been refined somewhat, Tenten still had the advantage in experience, as all of their clashes resulted in Alicia taking several surface wounds to her arms and legs.

_This isn't good, I'm at a disadvantage at weapon fighting... I'll have to force her to go hand to hand if I'm going to win with my tricks intact!_

The fight continued as Alicia wanted to take things to close-combat, but with the degree of weaponry her opponent had within those scrolls, she had to keep her foe off her balance so she couldn't summon anything that had the range to counter Siegfried. It wasn't that she couldn't use any of her new tricks, because she planned on saving those for the Finals.

But alas, it was not to be, as it was just half a second too late when Alicia realized that her chasing Tenten around was a trap.

A subtle yet elaborate trap, something that would get her within a certain area of effect and keep her there… for what technique, she didn't know.

It would soon be revealed as Tenten sent a veritable rain of death onto her opponent: the Twin Rising Dragons technique.

That was the moment when Alicia decided to screw everything and put it all on the floor, but it might have been too late, as the odango-wearing kunoichi had predicted this and hampered her movements with wires Alicia only discovered now.

There was a massive crash and a cloud of smoke, and as Tenten looked up to her team in the stands, she saw Guy-sensei and Lee's approving stares, and smiled.

_Sorry, but I guess experience gets the win this time,_ she thought.

Genma was just about to announce the victor, when a burst of light came from the scene of where the impact of the Soushouryuu came.

The mechanical voice spoke once more.

_**"**__**Barrier Jacket: Knight Mode.**_**"**

The smoke cleared, and there stood Alicia, wearing something identical, yet so different - her outfit was augmented with armored gauntlets and shin guards, and her jacket had lengthened considerably.

Tenten gaped for a moment, and she could have sworn that her opponent's new outfit oozed power.

"You're not out of weapons, are you?" she sweetly asked Tenten. _Looks like this is all-or-nothing on my end._

"Not even close," Tenten replied as she smiled back, revealing another storage scroll. _I was saving this for the finals... but..._

They charged at each other.

_Time to leave it all on the floor!_

* * *

Alicia had gotten herself cornered again, and this time it would be curtains if she didn't do something.

All the sharp and pointy objects were hurtling towards her even faster than the last time, and if she couldn't evade or block, then...

_**"Clearance confirmed. Limiter removed for Giga Crash."**_

Her Device started glowing.

_Looks like I've got no choice but to do this,_ she thought as she held up Siegfried, her technique ready.

"Twin Rising Dragons!"

"Giga Crash!"

There was another explosion as the two techniques met, and when the dust had settled, Alicia was gone.

"How'd she manage to-" was all Tenten could say before she dodged a dark blur coming straight at her.

"My turn!" Alicia said as she swung her Device towards her opponent.

_**"Spellblade Slash."**_

The force of the blow blew Tenten's guard away, even if she was blocking the slash with two kunai.

_How'd she manage to get here so quickly? _she asked herself, but couldn't do any more as she saw Alicia preparing hand seals.

"Hyouton: Engetsu Ryokuudan!"

_**"Lunatic Force."**_

A blue-and-white orb was fired from Alicia's hands, and Tenten was astonished at how slow it flew towards her - so she backpedaled, only to back into another kunai-wielding Alicia.

_KAGE BUNSHIN? BUT HOW?_

She struck at the clone, and was thankful that she had swapped out her kunai for an axe, as the clone dissipated into a crackle of electricity.

_This can't be - a Raiton variation? Is this a genin I'm fighting? _Tenten thought as she felt the whoosh of wind signifying something coming at her fast.

Summoning a halberd quickly, she barely managed to parry another vicious slash from that "spellblade" or whatever Alicia called it, but before she could counterattack, Alicia smiled and backed away.

_Why would she..._

Everything suddenly came to a stop as Tenten suddenly felt cold.

* * *

When it came to facilities, Konoha couldn't be beaten.

The testing venue had their very own clinic, which was now staffed by the village's best medic nin.

With good reason, as with just three preliminary matches finished, it started to look like a civilian emergency room during New Year's Day.

Watarase Shinta looked like Manda had rolled over him, which had the medics nearly run out of plaster and had a genin team run to the nearest Field Hospital to procure some more. Setting the bones had been the easy part; but they hadn't counted on the anesthesia jutsu they practiced not working on account of the boy's next-to-nothing ninjutsu ability: they had to knock him unconscious the hard way to get to the bone resetting.

Akado Yoroi looked like he had been subjected to a man-sized bug zapper, and the medics had to deal with getting jolted every now and then by the static generated by the genin's hair, which, upon removing his hood, had poofed into a remarkably fluffy afro.

Now Alicia Testarossa, that was a different deal. That many cuts should have caused her to at least collapse from blood loss, but it seemed that strange armor she had stemmed the blood flow for the time being. Now that it was dispelled, she looked like a mummy from all her bandaged limbs.

And her opponent looked like a thawed-out popsicle.

Never mind the fact that after the match, Alicia had extended her hand to her defeated opponent, put her arm around her shoulder, and started going towards the infirmary.

Now here they were, seated on adjacent beds, and exchanging as much girl talk as they could in between Tenten's chattering teeth and Alicia's yelping at her cuts.

* * *

"That was a splendid display of the power of Youth, Precia Testarossa-san!" Might Guy exclaimed. "Your daughter has proven it!"

She didn't know whether to be proud or to be mortified at her fellow jonin-sensei broadcasting this fact – one thing was for certain, she was feeling remarkably out of place.

"Kurenai-san has been a positive influence too," she quietly added.

"But of course! With two of the most Youthful of the Leaf's jonin-sensei, how could it not?"

Precia wanted to palm her face, scratch the back of her head, or maybe ram her head against the nearest wall, but such behavior would make her and her genin look bad. So, she did what she could and looked to the bright side of things: Alicia finally got the hang of spellcasting (though the fake hand seals and chakra manipulation could use some work) and the spell that won the game for her needed some work.

_Lunatic Force… it has a nice ring to it,_ she thought.

The announcer relayed the next match: Uchiha Sasuke versus Kankuro of the Desert.

* * *

As Sasuke stepped up to the stage, his thoughts irrevocably returned to **that** mission.

_The capable and competent Inuzuka Kiba, reduced to nothing by an injury to his dog._

_The last of the Uchiha Clan, useless without his Sharingan._

_The second-best kunoichi, Haruno Sakura, rendered helpless in a real-life situation._

_It took Kiba a momentous act of faith to have Sakura look after Akamaru, and right then and there he went all in, using every trick in his arsenal to keep his team alive. The desperation Sasuke saw in the Inuzuka's eyes echoed his own._

_He wants me to live._

_No, he wants all of us to live. Even that pervert sensei of ours who only seems to want to train us in useless things and shoved two fingers up my rear first day we met._

_He gritted his teeth and made the choice._

_Revenge can come later._

_My revenge won't come to pass if I'm dead._

_His eyes swirled into crimson as he willed his body to tap into its hidden potential._

_Sharingan._

_Tsuuga._

_The fight was over._

_He shared the bounty with his teammates, words from his clan's teachings returning to him. After all, a Clan Head has to be magnanimous in his victory and generous with his allies._

He smiled inwardly as he thought of the what-could-have-been and other matters as he walked onto the arena, looking at the puppet master with a vaguely respectful little grin on his face.

The proctor signaled the fight, and before Kankuro could react, Sasuke's eyes blazed crimson as it spun into the Sharingan.

Kankuro pulled hard at something, and a puppet appeared from the shadows, about to strike down Sasuke… only to pass through what he thought was Sasuke.

"Kage Bunshin!" he exclaimed, but before he could say any more, Kankuro collapsed as the Uchiha threw several blows at the puppet.

"Ugh… how'd he know…" the real Kankuro said as the bandages unraveled around the puppet's burden, "…so, that's the Sharingan."

"It's actually just a Bunshin and a small genjutsu… and the Sharingan." Sasuke replied quietly as the proctor announced him the winner. The Uchiha walked off, shrugging, as his eyes returned to their dark brown color.

Gaara seethed at seeing his brother lose so quickly that he advanced on the Uchiha just as he was walking to the stands.

"Now, I will kill you… and Mother will feast on your blood," he said flatly.

Sasuke just shrugged. After besieged by those samurai and missing-nin, his fear of Gaara seemed like a civilian's fear of heights. "…Let's meet in the finals, then," he said. "I'm sure you won't have any trouble making it."

He smiled at the Suna-nin, which Gaara answered with a rather creepy smile of his own.

"Your existence… is intriguing…" he said towards the Uchiha's back as he walked back to where his teammates were. "I will enjoy extinguishing it."

* * *

At the infirmary, Alicia and Tenten were now talking about mundane things. Most of Alicia's cuts had stopped bleeding by now, and Tenten's teeth had finally stopped chattering.

"And then, he staggers, wavers, and belts Neji with a right hook!"

"You keep saying he'd never manage to hit Neji until then, why only now?"

"Guy-sensei told us that Lee was a natural Drunken Fist practitioner after we held him down long enough for him to get through that bender," Tenten replied. "Damn, we should have given him sake for when…"

Tenten never got to finish as the medics burst in, carrying a critically injured Hyuuga Hinata.

One thought came to both their minds: _who would do such a horrible thing?_

* * *

"Naruto."

"Naruto."

"Hey, Naruto!"

He opened his eyes and saw Inuzuka Kiba standing opposite him in the arena floor.

"Hey, before we start, man, just wanted to tell you: Hinata's my friend too," Kiba began, which Naruto responded to with a mere nod.

"Hey! Don't zone out on me now," he continued, "because I want to promise you one thing: whoever wins this gets the chance to beat Neji's face in at the Finals."

Naruto immediately smiled, as if he'd called the Dial-a-Goddess hotline and somehow made it through.

"Sure thing," he said, drawing his kunai and going into that unorthodox stance Reynard had taught him.

"Good to see you're finally ready, Uzumaki-kun," Genma said. **"All right, let's get it on!"**

Both combatants threw themselves into the fight as whirling storms of death, Naruto using Kage Bunshin in more and more unorthodox ways to evade the Inuzuka's Gatsuuga technique.

Kiba tried to start off the bout using just taijutsu, but Naruto wasted even less time, dashing in, wheeling around and closing the distance so fast it was too late when the Inuzuka noticed.

Imitating that move Reynard used versus the snake Sannin, he planted his left foot onto the Inuzuka's chest for leverage and spun around with the momentum, going into a roundhouse with the right followed by a heel kick with the left foot.

The two hits were more than enough to send Kiba into the floor, but this wasn't a hit meant to end the fight, and nearly everyone in the arena knew this.

"Come on, Kiba, we're supposed to put up a good show," Naruto said flatly, his usual enthusiasm gone after what had happened to Hinata. "Don't tell me you're getting cold feet after what happened at the Forest."

"Me… getting cold feet? You must be joking!" Kiba exclaimed. "Fine… After this, you'll see the power of my Clan's techniques!" Kiba said as Akamaru jumped into the fray.

Naruto beckoned to his opponent. "Come on and bring your A-game, then. Nothing less."

He had scarcely returned to his stance when there were now two Kibas attacking him from opposite directions. With no time to create a Kage Bunshin, he immediately went on the evasive.

After a minute and a half of dodging those spinning strikes at the last moment, Naruto had finished formulating another one of his crazy plans, dropping a smoke bomb after faking getting hit with Akamaru's Tsuuga, which packed a lesser punch than Kiba's.

Gathering his thoughts as he evaded, he finally put it together evading another Gatsuuga: the Inuzuka was able to track him.

_Tracked_.

Naruto wanted to palm his face, because he could have beaten Kiba at the outset, the solution to this little puzzle was all too simple.

He formed the hand seals for another Kage Bunshin, paying careful attention to the chakra flow used; just the way Haku taught it and Reynard refined it.

Kiba moved in with another Tsuuga, taking the opportunity to take Naruto out before he could complete the technique – he saw what his fellow genin did at the Forest, and if he eliminated Naruto's use of Kage Bunshin, he stood a much better chance of winning.

_This win will be mine,_ he thought as his Over Fang crashed into Naruto in an impressive explosion of dust and pulverized masonry.

As the dust cleared, Kiba looked around, but Naruto was already gone. He was about to start tracking his opponent by scent once more when he felt a poke in the seat of his pants.

Reflexively, he leaped forward, only to run into Naruto – a quick tap to the side of the head, and Kiba went down in a heap.

Before Kiba blacked out completely, he wondered what happened to Akamaru, not noticing the proctor announcing Uzumaki Naruto as the winner of the round.

* * *

At the stands Precia nodded approvingly at her ward's clever use of basic tactics. Naruto was beat up some taking a few Over Fang hits, but what she was most concerned over was the other Hyuuga – to go after his cousin in such a rage was… disconcerting to say the least.

You wouldn't notice it on her face, but that match opened up old wounds.

The Cloud jonin-sensei looked on and commented on the match.

"He either baited the nin-dog with a low-level illusion or made a shadow clone that emitted a lot more scent for the dog to go after… then, he swapped with this clone as the Inuzuka attacked, knocked out the nin-dog, flanked his foe and set him up for the fake into the knockout tap."

"I'm amazed you managed to get all that, Yugito-san," Precia observed.

"Well, I do have a cat… yes, a cat's reflexes," the Cloud jonin-sensei replied. "Ah, our genin are set to square off against each other."

"I wonder: how will my genin will fare against yours?" Precia asked.

"There is only one way to find out, then."

* * *

The man known as the Dragon Sage walked through the streets of Konoha, remembering every event that had transpired prior to this.

_Guy was desperate, maybe that was what made him do this._

_Or not._

_I'll see if the upgrades really did work out, and maybe I can do the Mitarashi girl a favor of her own, too._

He palmed the other scroll in his stash.

_Sigh... even though I've gone a long way, I still feel useless fighting the whims of fate._

He took a moment to sigh in frustration then continued his walking once more.

* * *

All the Konoha genin at the infirmary ignored their injuries. Yes, even Uchiha Sasuke, who had been press-ganged by a defeated Kiba and Sakura to join.

"Join what?" Sasuke had asked, and when Sakura gave him a death-glare, he remembered.

_Someone as good as Hinata is should not be taken down in such gruesome fashion, even by someone in her family._

So there they were: winners, losers, those who took down their foes with them (such as Ino and Sakura), even some who had yet to begin their match – all of them praying that Hinata would make it.

And it was Uzumaki Naruto who had cried first, relieved tears falling down his face at the news that Hinata would indeed make it in spite of her grievous injuries.

Everyone else followed suit, with Sasuke again being reminded why the solitary path of the avenger is the inferior path.

_It was after the battle, and he and Kakashi-sensei were the only ones who could move around a bit. Given that they had run into a dangerous group of disgraced samurai along with these missing-nin, it was imperative to give them the honor they had forsaken in their lifetime now._

_It was one of those beliefs that governed everyone who had been termed "missing", everyone but the ones who were beyond the pale._

_Burying the bodies was the toughest work he'd done so far, and he was just about ready to give it up when he heard more sounds of digging nearby._

_Kiba and Sakura, despite their injuries, were assisting what little of the town's residents that remained in burying not only their honored dead but also giving back these wanderers' honor in death._

_It was then that the Uchiha finally realized that the morbid wisdom his accursed brother had given him turned out to be true, and for the very first time he wondered, __**would simply killing Itachi ease my pain?**_

_**Sasuke, remember this: Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies.**_

_The Inuzuka had smiled wryly at him when he looked over his sensei and his team._

_**Am I abandoning my dream?**_

_**No, I am affirming the best part of it.**_

_**They keep saying I can only do it alone.**_

_**Some wandering bandits even I can't take care of now.**_

_**Does that mean I need to be stronger now?**_

_**No, that just means that alone, I… am… nothing.**_

Sasuke didn't notice it, but tears had begun to fall down his cheeks as he saw Naruto and Alicia embrace in relief at the good news: everyone else who were good to go by the medics had begun to return to the arena stands to watch the last few rounds unfold.

After getting his wits about him, the last Uchiha stuffed his hands in his pockets (one needs to keep up the image) and looked over the last one left in the infirmary, the kunoichi Alicia had defeated in the preliminaries – _what was her name? Ah, yes. Tenten._

He walked towards her and noticed that she seemed to feel guilty about something.

_She's a senpai of ours, which means she's a teammate of whoever did this to Hinata._

"I'm not a big fan of the Hyuuga girl, but your team really dropped the ball on this one," he remarked.

Tenten looked up to him.

"We should have seen it coming…"

"That's just hindsight talking. It's done. All you can do now is make amends."

"Where do I begin to do that?" the girl asked.

"Don't ask me," Sasuke answered, and he spun on his heel and walked away.

_I'm not even started yet with how to make my own amends…_

* * *

Though Haku had lost, he had done a remarkable job of keeping his bloodline ability a secret. That was unfortunate, as he would have won had he used at least one of his ice-manipulating techniques. The Third Hokage looked over this match with a lot of curiosity. _Bringing him into the fold of the Leaf was a good idea after all,_ he thought. _Plus, I could do something about the Hyuuga Clan's troubles indirectly._

Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled to himself, earning a few curious looks from his ANBU guard. _Here's our next Chunin_, he thought.

* * *

By the time they had returned, the last match had been played, with Aburame Shino clawing his way from a momentous disadvantage to manage a draw versus Temari of the Sand.

Gaara could not be reached for any further comment, as his mangling of that green-clad weirdo was oh-so rudely interrupted by a bigger version of him.

_I WAS SO CLOSE TO WRENCHING HIS **OTHER** ARM OFF, TOO!_

After being calmed down somewhat, he had returned to the floor, where the other seven contestants who had won their respective rounds. They had been instructed to take a number out of a box, with their Finals matches based on the number they had selected.

Uzumaki Naruto openly grinned a death's-head when he found out he would be facing Hyuuga Neji in the first round.

Shikamaru Nara just palmed his face. It was just his luck to square off against the Kaburagi girl from Cloud.

Alicia Testarossa would end up against Shidou Tatsuya.

Lastly, Uchiha Sasuke would face Gaara of the Desert, which got the redhead from Suna grinning maniacally.

Yugito Nii saw Naruto and Gaara's near-identical grins, and felt strangely nervous.

"The Finals will be held one month from now, so train hard and improve yourself to make a good showing for you and your respective Hidden Villages. Congratulations, and I'll see you in a month," the Hokage said as he closed the preliminaries, and left in a whirl of leaves.

Naruto couldn't help but think that there was more than just matches to come in a month.

And surprisingly, it was his own bloodlust that led the Nine-Tailed Fox to block himself off from the boy for the time being.

_Just as well, _Naruto thought. _I'll continue my work with Reynard on my own._

Clouds began looming over the horizon, the sign of a gathering storm…

Chapter 14 - **END**

**Author's notes:**

1. That Haku / Ino dialogue reminds you of something, right? I thought of some other way to make light of the dissonance between Haku's apparent gender versus his actual one, thought of Ino, and that scene just sort of leaped from my mind. (With all respect to Ino, the scene was just too fun not to add to the fic. Also, princess cut Haku for the win.)

2. The last names of the Cloud genin team have a recurrent theme (which is related to my previous note). See if you can spot it. (By the time you read through the third genin's last name, you'd probably already guess correctly.)

3. My apologies if this chapter seemed a little Sasuke-centric, as he's the one who will undergo the most drastic changes to his character up to the end of the Chunin Exam arc. I'm just using his memories as the source for the flashbacks, as he was the one who was in the most action during that fiasco of a mission. Likewise, next chapter will feature a bit more Team 7 at the start, and then it will be Naruto and Alicia (with a bit of Anko) all the way to the Finals.

4. Rock Lee loses an arm… that doesn't mean he stops being a ninja. And that's all I can say before I spoil anything anymore.

5. Yes, Naruto's first move in the prelim fight versus Kiba **IS THIEF LASS' GRAB**. More references will come in further chapters.

6. The three genin from Cloud aren't meant to carve out a large role in this story. If you want this to change, drop me a line and how you want them to play their part in this story.

7. Please rate and review, as more reviews equal much faster updates. Feed(back) me reviews! Also, suggestions for original jutsu are accepted. Send me a message or go over to the forum (the link is in my profile.)

8. *NEW!* Oh yeah, the Hyouton jutsu Alicia uses isn't really a Hyouton jutsu at all: it's just a cover for Siegfried's technique.

**Biographies **_**(a/n: Shidou Tatsuya's bio will be featured in his fight with Alicia)**_**:**

_**Kaburagi Aria**_

**Rank**: Genin

**Age**: 14

**Affiliation**: Kumogakure

**Elemental Affinities**: Lightning, Water

**Team Role**: Intelligence, Heavy Combat

The informal leader of the three genin of the Kumo team in this year's chuunin exams, Aria is your typical yamato nadeshiko: sociable, sweet, and generally unobtrusive – that is, if you discount the fact that she wields a gigantic metal knuckle she calls "Genji". Imagine a courteous, sweet little girl whose chakra-enhanced punches and lightning-based attacks can easily knock you into next week.

_**Watarase Shinta**_

**Rank**: Genin

**Age**: 13

**Affiliation**: Kumogakure

**Elemental Affinities**: Lightning

**Team Role**: Special Weapons and Tactics

Where Aria shines in intelligence and information gathering, Shinta excels in putting a good plan together. Don't let his wimpy name, slight build and long periwinkle hair fool you – reports say that he is a kenjutsu prodigy, and he is rumored to be apprenticed to a master of the most powerful pure sword technique in the Five Countries.


	15. The Promises We Keep

_Disclaimer:_ Naruto isn't mine; Nanoha isn't mine; Lucky Star isn't mine; and Grand Chase isn't mine. Add Breath of Fire to that mix, too.

**Author's note:** I'll probably split the training chapter into two parts, or keep them in one longcat length (sorry Yugito) chapter. This is where things start coming to a head, you see – and the explosive results will show themselves in the Final Round.

Warning: this chapter contains a lot of techno-babble, conjecture, and core ideas that make up the AU. Will get wordy, so be warned.

And I've rewritten Chapter 14 to include the actual fight scene between Alicia and Tenten.

Anyway, read on and enjoy:

* * *

_Everything felt like it happened a lifetime ago. What I wanted was acknowledgment. What I received was a family._

_Sometimes despite your greatest efforts, nothing good comes out of it. And sometimes, the best of intentions lead to the worst of actions._

_I know this, but feeling and knowing are different. What now, when I've ended up in the middle of a storm I am nigh powerless to take action against?  
_

_Naruto: Arcane Heart will now begin._

_

* * *

__**NARUTO: ARCANE HEART**_

**Chapter 15: The Promises We Keep**

The night that had crept into Konoha promised its own chills, thrills, and death by sand suffocation as one red-headed ninja from Suna kept his distance from everyone else, lest his bloodlust overpower him and there would be more fatalities on his account… which he of course wouldn't pay off, due for many different and complicated reasons.

The abandoned Uchiha Clan estates were likewise hiding their own ghosts as its sole occupant took some time from this place to answer the summons of his cycloptic jonin-sensei.

Konoha General Hospital was also the scene of terrors of its own, as the medic-nin tried to hold back their feelings in taking care of all the gruesome injuries one Hyuuga had incurred battling against another.

Yeah, it was an exhibition.

Yeah, it wasn't meant to be personal.

Everyone there kept holding onto that delusion while pretending to look the other way as Hyuuga Neji unleashed his hatred of the Main Family onto Hyuuga Hinata with his two hands.

That… person was probably receiving a stern talking-to from his adoptive father, but who knows? Hinata had been doing fine as a kunoichi, even beating out the Uchiha for the school's top rank – but all of it had been for naught.

It served as a glaring reminder to the white-eyed girl – as she looked sightlessly at the ceiling – that despite all the progress she had made, she was still a failure who went out like one.

Death would be a welcome release from all the earlier looks, and the little hope she had with her friends and her small accomplishments shattered when the reality of the situation set in.

* * *

At the apartment where the Testarossas, Naruto and Haku lived in, the evening meal was sobering.

Haku had been summoned by the Hokage for an emergency meeting by several ANBU and would not return for around an hour; Precia took that time to drill into her two children just how badly they needed to step up their training.

It was a drastically different Precia that had led them into the living room later after dinner.

"You've seen just how powerful your opponents are; given their stature, they obviously have so much more up their sleeves. Alicia," Precia began, leveling a stern look at her daughter, "you've given up more of this family's secrets than I can count, but at least you proved your strength of character to Siegfried."

Disappointed, Alicia could only nod.

"However," Precia added, "this means your moves will be scouted and possibly countered by the time the Finals roll around. From today up to the start of the Finals, I'll take charge of most of your training. Naruto… there's someone who gave me and Alicia some assistance in the past, and he should help you out with your… unique condition. His name is Jiraiya-sama. He'll take over part of your training from me."

"What about my Device?"

"What about it… hmm," Precia answered, thinking. "Why don't I bring you two together and see how far you've gone in Device usage for the meantime, Naruto?"

"Thanks, Aunt Precia."

"Don't thank me yet. The next month will probably be the longest for both of you," Precia answered, her voice strangely subdued.

Alicia and Naruto actually swallowed down a lump of fear in their throats at that.

* * *

At the little out-of-the-way joint they had called Yui's, Jiraiya of the Sannin was in the company of an old friend, and waiting for the highlight of the evening. It helped that both of them were off to a good start in their little drinking game, and were comfortably tipsy by the time the Toad Sage's companion ventured a question.

"Just two hours after dark… and you're already at the Red Lantern District. What, you were too excited to see Takara Yukari's grand return onto the Pole Stage?"

"Stuff it, Sage boy. You know I had you come here because you are also a fan of Yukari-chan."

"Agh… Hot moms… my immortal enemy…" Jiraiya's companion answered, clutching his chest in a histrionic display of pain. "Anyway, I heard her daughter's shaping up to be quite the charmer."

"Yes, indeed. Thank all the gods she had the good sense not to end up in the Ninja Academy," Jiraiya the Toad Sage replied.

"You had a hand in that, too?"

"Look, Sage boy, I'm all for letting the smart ones into Ninja Academy, but we can't let good genes go to waste in some lame mission, catch my drift?"

"Yeah, whatever you say. By the way, an old friend wants to say hi."

"**You** have the package?"

The other Sage nodded, smiling so widely his eyes closed.

Jiraiya laughed out loud. "Of course you would. And I heard these very tasty tidbits about Testarossa's daughter…"

"Okay, this I have to see. Well, it's good timing for me, too," the other Sage said as he made off to leave.

"It's already dark out," Jiraiya replied, "best to make our introductions tomorrow."

"Yes, of course," the other Sage said as he sat down, "and there goes Yukari-chan," he said as both Sages used their eyes to dine on the voluptuous figure of Konohagakure's most beloved exotic dancer.

* * *

Early the next morning, they met at the Cenotaph and immediately went down to business.

"I'll put it to you this way: against Gaara, there's a ninety-five per cent chance you'll die."

"So?"

"So? What do you mean, 'so'?" Hatake Kakashi asked his student.

"Everyone has to bite it sometime," Uchiha Sasuke said dismissively. "My point being, are you so scared of a mere sand-wielding genin that you'd train me alone just for me to catch up with him?"

"In so many words… yes."

"Then… I refuse."

"You'll refuse your sensei's training?"

"Not necessarily, no…" Sasuke answered. "Of course, I'll take your training. But only under one condition, and it's non-negotiable."

"Name it, then."

"If you train me, you will also train my teammates."

Kakashi's lone eye widened. _The bell test really worked! Oh wait, it was just that mission. I'll take my victories as they come, though…_ he thought as inside his head, chibi-Kakashi, chibi-Obito and chibi-Rin did a little victory dance. _He really does give a damn about his teammates._

Looking at Kakashi's amused grin, Sasuke started to worry. _No more worries. You already burned that bridge in that mission. From now on it's 'share victory, share defeat'._ He narrowed his eyebrows and swore that if his teammates slowed him down… he would go back as many times as possible and do everything short of carrying them to where he needed them to be.

_Because... I won't get my answers from than man by myself._

"If I get to train the whole team, I'm gonna need some help of my own," Kakashi said.

"Fair enough," Sasuke answered. "As long as we all get stronger, it's fine."

_This is going even better than I thought!_ Kakashi said to himself. _Now all I have to do is bring Ebisu in for efficiency training and Anko-chan for Sakura's case…_

_Oh, this month will be a blast._

* * *

Somewhere far away, a man wearing a black cloak nearly fell over the clay bird he was riding on when he sneezed.

_Someone remembers me? _

…_Nah, not likely._

* * *

Deep inside, Uzumaki Naruto was still seething. His rage had severed the links he had between the Fox and Reynard, and he couldn't do anything about it.

His frustration at his current state and the fact that he couldn't do a damn thing to help Hinata further incensed him.

This vicious cycle continued until he finally kicked a chair and broke his ankle.

He went immediately to the mindscape, where the fox and a disembodied spirit he knew to be his Device was waiting for him.

_Ouch…_

…_Your Aunt Precia told you to rein in your emotions more, didn't she?_

_Yes… yes she did, Kyuubi-san._

The fox smiled.

_Then why aren't you doing it?_

_Well it's because…_

_I've seen better people and better demons do much worse things for much worse reasons, kid. Don't let it snuff that fire inside you out._

_**Speaking of which, I should probably begin his Visualization training.**_

_Yes, that's a good idea, Reynard. I'd like to see what kinds of horrors you faced before._

_**You'll be accompanying him.**_

_Thank you. Of course, even I have some degree of curiosity at what your memories contain._

Naruto was confused at the conversation between his Device and the Nine-Tailed Fox.

_What do you mean, training?_

_You'll do this every night until a few days before the Finals. Reynard tells me this type of training drains your mental and emotional energies quickly._

With nothing to lose, Uzumaki Naruto agreed. After all, he'd take any means he could to improve himself so he'd stand a chance against Neji.

…_I'll do it._

_That's the spirit, kid._

_**Just remember, your situation makes your links between the fox and I more fragile than others'.**_

_I've figured some of it out, kid. The three of us have to be synchronized with each other for you to make the best use of our gifts. I don't know the details yet, but… you should put your training to good use now. As your guardian said once, __**"this isn't Ichiraku's Ramen anymore"**__._

Naruto wistfully nodded, as the truth of what had happened finally dawned on him.

He couldn't come up with the words to describe it, it was more like a feeling… the bond he had with the entity living inside him strengthened through the conflict in Wave and in the Forest of Death.

And when he had seen what had happened to Hinata, it shattered, leaving him without the things he'd normally rely on in a pinch.

He did the best thing he could in a situation like that: he thought of it as just another lesson to be learned, and he made it because of that.

Now, though… against someone whose mastery of his Clan's arts exceeded that of Hinata… it wouldn't be enough.

_I gotta win… for Hinata-chan…_

_

* * *

_

Morning came, and with it, Uzumaki Naruto had the vague recollection of being in a dream where he was tasked to hold the line against a horde of monsters.

…_there were lots of them, even the mage couldn't keep up with the sheer number, I had to call upon my attacks so many times…_

…_the redhead with me started to falter, but I could not! The wall must hold… otherwise all will be lost!_

…_that hammer's slow! So slow! You're one hundred years too early to be facing off against me…!_

A thoroughly puzzled Naruto finally went into the kitchen to have breakfast, together with his family.

"Morning," he said tiredly as he helped himself onto his chair.

"Today's the first day of your training. The man I asked to train you will meet after lunch, so you'll work on Reynard with Alicia through the morning," Precia said without missing a beat. "Cereal?"

Naruto nodded. "Hey, Haku-chan, what was the meeting with the Old Man Hokage about?"

The girly nin shrugged, "nothing that you guys need to worry about."

Even if that strange dream left him aching all over, Naruto still managed to see his sister with a glint in her eye.

"How'd the Outer Wall go?" she asked with a smile, shocking the other blonde completely.

"It… it went well," he replied. "How do you know that?"

"Siegfried," Alicia answered. "He started me on Visualization training last night."

Precia smiled. "Well, it seems the two of you will make excellent progress in this month given before the Finals… Hrist tells me the dream scenarios will go on for three weeks, and then a rest period of one week before the Finals."

Both genin nodded.

"Thirty minutes to get both of you ready for training later," the elder Testarossa added. "Haku dear, would you be so kind as to-?"

"You don't have to ask, Precia-sama. I'll hold the fort."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, Precia-sama."

* * *

Later that morning, in the Training Area she personally requisitioned from the Hokage for Alicia's training, Precia Testarossa began with a detailed lecture regarding the ins-and-outs of Device usage.

"We've already covered the basics, which means I don't need to tell you how to acquire new spells from your respective Devices," Precia began. "Also, both of your Devices specialize in speed and power, which is a good thing: speed is my specialty, too."

"I had planned to save this for your jonin qualifying exams, but given the circumstances in which the upcoming Finals will be held in… that is a luxury neither you two nor I can afford."

Precia unsealed her own Device: Hrist the Knight Sword.

"Siegfried, Reynard, clearance removal for module CVK-792. System password: Bermesiah."

Naruto and Alicia's Devices lit up at the verbal acknowledgment.

**"Command successfully received: CVK-792 module now online."**

"This will be your trump card: the Ancient Velka Cartridge System," Precia declared. "Hrist, go ahead."

Her Device acknowledged the mental command: **_"Load Cartridge."_**

**"_Zanber Form."_**

"Most Devices can only access higher-tiered forms when a Cartridge is loaded into it," Precia continued as her Device discarded what looked like a tube of lipstick.

Naruto picked the strange object up. "Something like this couldn't have that much of an effect on…"

He didn't finish as a slight tremor jarred him. Wheeling around, he saw that his Aunt Precia's Device had transformed into an inordinately large violet sword.

"Any questions?" the older Testarossa asked with a smile on her face.

Both genin just shook their heads.

"Let's move along, then."

* * *

Mitarashi Anko was furious with herself.

First there was that Forest of Death fiasco, where she was reduced to nothing by a simple one-handed seal, and now this.

Being tossed into a pool by a summoned toad before she could react was one thing.

What she really disliked was the toad's slimy tongue, because right now, she wasn't in the mood for that sort of thing (and those moments were rare).

Still, the lousy morning started to look up, as she saw a familiar face walking towards her wet and disheveled form.

"Good morning, Mitarashi-san. You look well."

"Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle… **YOU BASTARD!** Why show up now, of all times?"

"Heh heh," the man said, scratching his head. "My apologies, but let's just say I got lost on the road of life."

"Screw you."

"Hey, it works for Sakumo's son, right? Speaking of Sakumo's son, where is he?"

"Off training his three genin brats," Anko answered. "I'm due to bind and gag Ebisu - he'd probably enjoy it too, the creep - and join him in getting those three ready for the Finals."

"Uchiha Sasuke was the only one to make it to the Finals, right?"

"Yeah, but when offered to be trained personally, he dragged his teammates along."

"How noble."

"How sadistic, you mean," Anko responded.

"Well, I'm already here, so that counts for something."

"Speaking of which, why ARE you here, Senryuu-sensei?" Anko asked.

"Summoning contracts and a favor from the guy you saw over there," Senryuu said, pointing towards the women's baths.

"Contracts? For who?"

"There's one here for Alicia… and one for you."

* * *

As they gave him a few moments to pick himself up, Precia was beginning to understand several of the intricacies of just how unique Naruto's situation really was.

The fact that his bond with the entity within him resembled a Unison procedure with its own strange twists led to even stranger results. Foremost was that Naruto literally fried himself from the feedback when he used a Kage Bunshin while he had his Knight Armor (something he picked up recently) and Device active – this wasn't supposed to happen while in Unison Mode, but Precia had a feeling that the passive functions of the boy's seal made sure he wouldn't stretch himself out too thinly and risk letting that within him out.

She would discuss the second strange fact with Naruto as soon as he was lucid enough.

But first, she started thinking about a chakra-to-mana converter that would suit the boy.

Meanwhile, Alicia was doing fine in harnessing the Cartridge System on her own… and it showed as she got Siegfried to finally change form.

Naruto wanted to be able to do that, too… but his Aunt Precia said that she'd have to have a little talk with a resource person for him to be able to truly harness the Cartridge System. Thus, the rest of the morning had Alicia with her improved Device spar with Naruto's improved dagger-wielding.

* * *

"I don't get it. I already signed the Snake contract years ago," Anko said.

"Well, there's been a civil war within the Snake tribe for some time now," Senryuu answered. "One faction is headed by Manda, who we all know is in cahoots with you-know-who."

"And that other contract?"

"…this other contract belongs to the Snake Sage. But before I can let you have it, I want to take a look at that seal."

The girl looked pensive as she turned back, exposing the side of her neck that had the Cursed Seal on it.

"Uh, hey, what's that? Look, over there!" Senryuu said, pointing to another side, and when Anko looked, she felt a slight tap to the neck.

"There were no dogs, Senryuu-sama," Anko answered. "And what was that tap..."

The black-clad Sage just laughed in response. "Molding chakra's gonna hurt like all hell broke loose inside you. It's gonna make the seals your former teacher does with his hand look like foreplay."

"What did you just do, sir?" she asked.

"Do you want the dissertation or the abstract?"

"I'll have the abstract."

"Very well, I just screwed with that seal on your neck. Since you don't use that much of its ability, you should be able to dispel it on your own."

"...Dispel?"

Senryuu gave another one of his massive smiles. "Took me quite some time to get the kinks ironed out... that Seal is a piece of work. Thank goodness all of the seal's components were things I've dealt with in the past."

"Consider it my apology on your behalf, Anko-chan."

* * *

The Testarossas (and Naruto) had lunch near the hot springs, where Jiraiya the Toad Sage said he would meet them.

And shortly after they had finished, a red-and-gray streak came crashing down near them, followed by an indignant yell.

"Ugh, women," a voice came from the scene of impact. "You give them an honest compliment and they beat the crap out of… ah, Precia-san!"

"Just because everyone buys your books doesn't mean they also subscribe to your worldview, Jiraiya-sama," Precia replied to the man rising from the cloud of dust.

"Is that 'Oil' written on his forehead protector?" Alicia asked.

Naruto shrugged, but before he could say anything, he was pulled into the dreamscape.

_Hey, kid. I need to ask you a rather large favor._

_What favor?_

Meanwhile, Precia had already begun asking the Toad Sage questions. "You told me to come see you immediately when Alicia unlocks the second stage of her Device, and now here we are."

"That wasn't me – it was actually my friend Senryuu who did. Alicia's growth will be exponential if we do it by the book."

"And is this Senryuu…?"

"Ah, there he is, now," Jiraiya answered, waving to a rather nondescript-looking man with dark hair, glasses and a black ninja outfit walking towards them. He might have worn a similar-looking outfit as Ebisu, but the way he carried it suggested something else entirely.

And this impression was not lost on Precia.

"Senryuu-sama?" she asked.

"Ah, the great Precia Testarossa of the Leaf," Senryuu said, bowing. With him was a violet-haired young woman Naruto and Alicia remembered as the proctor of the second test in the Chunin exams. "Before you ask, I also came here as a special favor to Mitarashi-san."

"Yes," Precia answered. "I'm sure you've met my daughter and my ward, have you?"

"Alicia Testarossa and Uzumaki Naruto, I presume?" the man asked. "My name is Senryuu… the Dragon Sage."

Before anyone could react, red chakra began flowing out of Naruto.

**"**_**Long time no see."**_

"I'm glad you're a lot more sociable now, Kyuubi-san," Senryuu said, unruffled by this small display of power. Thankfully, he extended his aura, negating the flaring red chakra that accompanied Kyuubi's presence.

**"**_**Yes… I don't know what would happen if I was still left in that state."**_

"You don't have to thank me. We'll talk shop later."

Kyuubi-in-Naruto nodded as the red aura receded, leaving a confused bunch of people in its wake.

"And who's he?" Naruto asked, pointing towards the red-and-gray clad shinobi.

"Who am I…? **who am I?**" he bellowed. "I am the great **TOAD SAGE OF MOUNT MYOBOKU!** Bestselling-author of the Icha Icha Series! I am… the POWERFUL! The Gallant! The Indestructible Jiraiya!" he rambled on, taking up a series of Kabuki poses as he did so.

The strange thing about this was that Senryuu, Anko, Alicia and Precia were paying him no mind, conversing among themselves as he postured… the only one who noticed was Naruto.

"Were you the one who taught the Fourth Hokage?" Naruto quietly asked after Jiraiya finished his spiel.

"But of course!" Jiraiya answered proudly.

Naruto looked to his left, then to his right. And then, without warning, he dashed in and decked the Toad Sage in the jaw with an uppercut.

"**WHAT WAS THAT FOR?**" the recipient asked as he got up. _Damn, the kid packs a mean right upper._

"That wasn't for me. That was for the Fox," Naruto quietly said as he bowed in apology.

"What do you mean, for the Fox?" Jiraiya asked, puzzled.

"The Fox told me the Fourth made a mistake with the sealing."

"He couldn't! That seal was his finest work! Not unless…" Jiraiya said, suddenly lost in thought as ideas and theories began going through his head. "Let me see your seal."

Naruto shrugged and obliged, as he lifted his shirt up.

"Now channel some chakra."

Again Naruto shrugged as he started channeling some chakra, revealing the seal.

"This is… my word. It's the same, but the arrays have several different dimensions of their own, the elements have not been modified but enhanced through different strata…" Jiraiya muttered, "oh, God."

"What's wrong?" Senryuu asked, going over to his friend.

"We messed up. Minato and I, we fucked up, big time. Major league error."

"What do you mean?" Senryuu asked.

"It's gonna take a long night and lots of sake to explain."

"You'll be joining Precia in training them for a month, right? What's one night of theory crafting?"

"Yeah. But I will admit, the one who reconfigured the seal is even better than Minato and I… combined."

"…er, that would be me," Senryuu said, grinning uneasily.

"YOU WHAT?" Jiraiya asked, indignant.

"You never asked, and I never thought it important to tell you, **dude**," Senryuu said, slipping back into his odd mode of talking. "And on a lighter note, I already finished. The Curse Seal on Anko-chan is gone."

"Gone?"

"Good as gone. One jutsu and the seal goes. It's gonna hurt like no one's business, though."

"Let me ask you again: why aren't you fighting for Konoha again?"

"…because I don't want to, and it would be boring. Come on, I have to make Alicia sign the Dragon Contract."

* * *

Mitarashi Anko was on top of the world.

Not only was that accursed seal finally banished from existence, she now had a way of coming into her own – though few would notice and even fewer would acknowledge it.

With this, she'd easily make jonin.

Plus, she'd also have a few guinea pigs to test her new-and-improved techniques out on… as much as their sensei would permit, anyway.

She laughed as she thought that the Inuzuka brat would probably let himself be beaten by her to within an inch of his life in exchange for him getting to cop a feel.

Yes, for Mitarashi Anko, this month was going to be **special**.

* * *

"Er, why would I be given the Dragon Contract?" Alicia asked as they began afternoon training: more chakra control exercises for both genin.

Precia finally found a way to get Naruto to harness the Cartridge System: a belt that sent out a restraining wave of combined mana and chakra all over Naruto's body.

It didn't feel that much to him because of his chakra reserves, and the energy he spent keeping the restraints on was diverted to several empty cartridges attached to the belt.

It was nothing short of a stroke of collaborative genius, as that idea required several people brainstorming: Senryuu, Jiraiya, Anko, Precia, Alicia, and even Naruto.

The catch was that Naruto could only use his own cartridges, as he was drawing on a mix of his and the Fox's chakra continuously just to keep up with the belt's restraining power.

After a few hours of getting used to it, it was now Jiraiya's turn to strut his stuff, and he had Alicia and Naruto signed onto the Dragon and Toad contracts, respectively.

"…because the Device you wield belongs to the strongest of the Erudon Clan. Most of the signers of the Dragon Clan are members of the Erudon family. You saw the names, right?"

"Yes, and next to no ninja actually summon dragons…" Alicia remarked.

"That doesn't actually imply anything," Jiraiya added. "For once, you should be grateful. There have been very few Dragon summoners in the era of the Ninja, consider yourself part of a select group."

"I KEEP ON SUMMONING TADPOLES! WHAT IS THIS?" screamed out a frustrated Naruto, and everyone had to have a little chuckle at that.

* * *

Meanwhile, one Momochi Haku had the creeping feeling of being stalked… through his daily routine of calisthenics, taijutsu training, meditation and chores, the feeling had not gone away.

After depositing the groceries at home and preparing the evening meal, he went out for a little walk around the village when he spied a familiar head of blonde hair following him.

_The Yamanaka girl?_

He noticed her moving in his direction whenever he tried to move past.

_I have to talk to her about this… strange thing._

As he walked towards her, he could hear her muttering to herself.

"Oh… was it some kind of dream? I refuse to believe that such a beautiful man could exist…And that I would meet him! …I feel dizzy!"

Haku took this moment to approach her. "Excuse me… is now a bad time?" the feminine-looking ninja asked.

"Oh!"

Okay, this was just disturbing him. "I need to ask you, did I… do something to disturb you?"

"…N-No!" Ino exclaimed, surprised at his suddenly paying attention to her. "I mean… not at all…"

"Really?" Haku asked. "Oh, good… because you got so quiet all of a sudden… it worried me…

"Entrancing… What beautiful eyes…" Ino muttered, her blue eyes locking onto Haku's brown ones.

"Yamanaka Ino-san?" Haku asked, his unease growing.

"Ino… Ino… Oh, he said my name! …By Her Divine Providence! Even his voice is… beautiful!" Ino rambled on.

**NOW** it was official. Haku had found himself a fangirl. "Umm..."

"Who was that other boy again? Sasuke? Ugh, he's not that hot… but Haku… dear, sweet, adorable Haku-chan…" Ino said before walking away still in that daze.

"…Umm…" was all a flabbergasted Haku could come up with before he returned to his daily business.

* * *

That night, Senryuu and Jiraiya had to talk business, and as such did not grace the lovely Takara Yukari with their presence – there were more important things to be talked about over the pink-haired dancer's heavenly figure.

"It wasn't a complete waste, Jiraiya," Senryuu said, sipping on his sake bowl. "You got the Fox in the boy, mission accomplished."

"Still, I… I should have seen it. The elements were there, the sealing array, everything was perfect."

"I suppose if you were trapping **a demon**, then yes, it would be the pinnacle of perfection…" Senryuu replied. "…but as it turns out, things are not so simple."

"It was **supposed** to have the simplicity of genius…"

"The problem with genius is that the label tends to make people complacent," Senryuu said matter-of-factly as he finished off another bottle and signaled the bartender for one more.

"Guess I deserve that punch for not thinking too far ahead… that, and I've been negligent in my duties as the kid's godfather."

"None of that now," Senryuu said, "you did what you could then, and you're taking charge of their training now, are you not? Plus, Anko still has to re-learn summoning all over again."

"Still, Naruto…"

"He's doing fine – he's got the Testarossa family backing him up. And you, even though you do it in a different way."

"I suppose you're right."

Several comfortable moments of silence passed before Jiraiya ventured another question to his fellow Sage.

"Still, how did you know that something was wrong?"

"Back then? I didn't kill that chunin and neither did the ANBU."

"Who did?"

"It was the kid. Damn near wrenched his would-be killer in two," he said. "Thank goodness I was there… otherwise worse things could have happened."

"That's when you realized…"

"…that there is more to this than just the Tailed Beasts. You've lived with their legend for so long, no one actually bothered to look 'underneath the underneath' regarding that. Still, I suppose that with history becoming myth and myth becoming legend, that's par for the course."

"And you would do that?"

"No, I just opened the door for you or someone else to walk through. Remember, my Sage status only stays as long as I don't actively interfere. Matter of fact…" the Dragon Sage added, "as soon as Mitarashi-san relearns her technique, I'm leaving."

"Leaving?"

"Yeah… I've seen Yukari-chan on stage, so I can say that sight is oh-so worth it, and my work here is done."

"Oh…" Jiraiya said, as he knew at this point he couldn't do anything to stop his friend from leaving Konoha and returning to a wandering lifestyle. "In that case, feel up to a visit at Yui's?"

"By all means, fellow Sage," Senryuu replied.

They got up, paid the bill, and walked off towards the red-lantern district arm-in-arm and laughing – like lifelong friends do.

* * *

At the Hokage Tower, Sarutobi Hiruzen was again at his wit's end.

Orochimaru had made a grand comeback, Kumo was poised to make a move on the Hyuuga heiress, and Might Guy had not been given his requisite talking-down after letting one genin take a practice match personally and another have his arm torn off by a vicious genin from Suna.

And this report served to add more troubles in the days to come.

"Didn't the Hyuuga elders withdraw from clan affairs a year ago?" the Hokage asked.

"Yes, sir, but after Hiashi-sama's oh-so-convenient accident, it seems the Elders have taken temporary control," the cat-masked ANBU answered.

"…Still, if we could do something…"

"There is still time, Hokage-sama. Hyuuga Hinata's condition is still rather sensitive, and it seems the Elders will wait until she has sufficiently recovered before making their move."

"Damn it," the Hokage said. "Thank you for your report, ANBU. Dismissed."

As the ANBU left in a swirl of leaves, the Hokage started to think of ways to prevent this from degenerating into total chaos… chaos he was sure Kumo would take advantage of.

_If only I had a little weasel to take care of this… but such luxuries are not mine to afford any more,_ the Hokage thought, grabbing a familiar bottle of aspirin.

* * *

Another week had passed, and while both Naruto and Alicia were making progress in Device training, the Kuchiyose no Jutsu was proving rather difficult.

Difficult because all Alicia could summon were Whelps and Pygmies, and Naruto because of both the cartridge-loading belt AND the small frogs he kept summoning.

The only good thing about their setbacks was that the creatures they summoned were inordinately cheering them on before their time on that plane expired.

Thus, their resolve returning to them, Alicia and Naruto went back to their training with vigor.

* * *

Words echoed in Haruno Sakura's head.

Encouraging words.

Disparaging words.

He had not chastised her failure, but told her where she should be going, what she should be doing.

It wasn't good form for her idol to look at the past, as it was nothing but heartbreak for both of them.

_I need __**you**__._

_Not the fangirl._

_I need you – Haruno Sakura – the kunoichi._

_I need you to help me follow my dream._

_I'll help you follow yours if you do._

_You can even have me, if you do._

_I'll do what it takes to bring my dreams to life._

_Can you say you'll do the same?_

_Can you endure everything for me?_

The pink-haired girl nodded.

_Then cast everything aside… …and follow me._

Right then and there, the fangirl known as Haruno Sakura died.

…and the real Haruno Sakura was reborn – resurrected.

"**DAMN IT!**" she yelled as she molded chakra, went through the hand seals, and impressed everyone watching in that desolate training field with a **massive** Suiryudan no Jutsu.

…and after all this time, she had finally realized something… Inner Sakura was… gone, but she could feel something left behind, like a rift that was finally beginning to close.

_Haruno Sakura's ninja career truly begins now._

* * *

"Hrist. Visualization. **NOW**."

The Device followed quickly, relaying signals to Siegfried and Reynard, who obliged.

In a few moments, the two genin who had been talking about their techniques suddenly fell asleep on the grass in the training field.

It had been three weeks since the start of their training, and Alicia was just preparing herself to take on the Dragon Tribe's test, while Naruto was just charging chakra to summon the Toad Boss - Gamabunta - after Gamatsubo said that the other toads would only follow him if he got Gamabunta to go along with him as well.

Fair enough.

But the real reason why they were stuck doing dream scenarios was that Anko had finally done it… sort of.

A naked blue-haired woman stood proudly on the training field, leveling the one with the audacity to summon her in this state with a glare, and denying her state of embarrassment to the drooling pervert Toad Sage on her right.

"You're the Snake Sage?" Mitarashi Anko finally asked.

"As if there were any other?" the woman haughtily answered. "I heard from the smaller guys. You say you use the Snake Style of fighting. I want to see it."

"Now?"

"Now. Come at me."

The special jonin went after the naked woman with some serious intent to injure, but all her strikes were parried at the last moment.

"YOU CALL THAT SNAKE STYLE? That's more like SNAIL STYLE if you ask me!" the woman called out as she kept dodging Anko's attacks.

It was an exhausted Anko who finally relented after several minutes of futile attacks.

"This is how you do Snake Style!" the woman said, readying herself for her finishing attack. But… instead of attacking Anko… the woman rushed towards Jiraiya.

"ATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA!" the woman bellowed as she let loose a literal volley of punches raining on the Toad Sage.

"Snake Style: Thousand Crack Sting!" she shouted as the technique finished. "Next time I catch your eyes where I don't want them, I focus all those hits on your TWO. BEST. FRIENDS," she added, smiling at her victim.

"And you…" she said further as she advanced on the strangely still Anko, "you get to relearn Snake Style all over again. That old master of yours is an idiot for trying to teach a style that's only ten per cent complete. I'll teach you everything you need to know… if you can summon me in my true form. See you around."

She vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving a gaping Precia, a horrified Anko and a bruised Jiraiya behind.

"She never told us her name," Anko said, with the others nodding assent.

Naruto and Alicia soon woke up, and continued on with their training – it would not do to enter the Finals without sufficient preparation, after all.

* * *

They were going to give Hinata a clean bill of heath the very next day.

This was the day the Third was dreading, and still, he hadn't found a solution.

Until he looked over his library of jutsu, and glossing over the scrolls, it hit him like Orochimaru smacking him in the face with Manda like a flail.

He had found the most feasible and creative solution to this problem.

(Not to mention it would serve as payback.)

* * *

That night, Uzumaki Naruto could not sleep as the strange feeling of dread continued to wash over him. Given that his aunt was more of a logical bent than he wanted; Haku-chan was rather frightened at this new phenomenon called a "fangirl" and Alicia was already halfway through some place called "Hell Bridge" in dream training, he went to the most appropriate place he could: the meadow.

_Can't sleep?_

Where's Reynard?

_It's taking a rest._

I… I have a really bad feeling right now. I can't explain it.

_I can. Do you know that spirit foxes gain the power of omniscience when they harness the power of their ninth tail?_

I can see everything?

_Not right now, no. But your training is giving you bits and pieces of that power. Did you know that the seal that binds us now is different?_

Different… how different is it?

_The Dragon Sage was the one who improved the seal. While it slows down the rate of which my powers meld with yours, it does so with no danger to your - or my – sanity._

So I can use your powers freely?

_No… for one, we have to be in agreement to do so._

So that's why I couldn't use my power after seeing what happened to Hinata…

_…Correct. Your anger overrode the bond between us._

…what can I do?

He was abruptly yanked from the dreamscape when he heard a silent rapping on the apartment door. Rushing towards it, he found that it was an ANBU wearing a cat mask.

"The Hokage needs you."

"…at this late hour?" Naruto asked.

"Immediately."

Naruto's eyes widened. Something to do with that feeling?

"There's no time," the ANBU said, grabbing Naruto and using Shunshin to leave as soon as possible right after he closed the front door behind him.

* * *

"Naruto."

"What's going on, Hokage-sama?" Naruto asked as he was ushered in the Hokage's office by the cat-masked ANBU.

"Please, have a seat," the Third Hokage answered, gesturing Naruto towards one of the available chairs.

"What could be so important that you'd want me to see you, sir?" he asked as the Hokage sealed the room for privacy.

"The Hyuuga Clan elders are planning to bind Hinata-san with the Caged Bird Seal tomorrow morning..."

Naruto instantly paled.

"…and you're the only one who can stop them."

"Me…? How could I do that…?"

The Third Hokage handed a set of forms over to Uzumaki Naruto.

"'Authority to start a Clan in Konohagakure'?" Naruto asked in disbelief after browsing through the first few pages. "What's the meaning of this?"

"Exactly what needs to be done. You've fulfilled the requirements for starting a Clan: while your parentage may be hidden for now - and will be until you either become a jonin or turn 18, whichever comes first - their skills as ninja are enough for you to begin a Clan of your own."

"But I can't start a Clan by myself…"

"You already have a senior and junior retainer."

"Aunt Precia and Alicia-oneechan?"

"Yes."

"Okay, how do I get to save Hinata-chan from being sealed anyway? This is just to start a Clan of my own. Unless…" and Naruto paled even further as the truth of what the Third wanted him to do dawned upon him.

"Hokage-sama… I… I…" he said, hesitating.

"I understand, Naruto… but you're Hinata-san's only hope right now."

He sighed, and finally grabbed the pen.

_Tomorrow is going to be hell, _Uzumaki Naruto thought as he saw the Hokage personally sign on the contract.

* * *

He remembered that time she got in trouble for (again) pulling her punches while sparring with her sister.

And as she cried onto his shoulder, telling him about her weakness, she ended up telling him about that near kidnapping, her uncle's sacrifice, Neji's dislike… everything about the Hyuuga Clan seemed pulled from a haphazardly-written tragedy with no closure or meaning to it all.

Before, when Hinata would approach him and want to talk, he didn't know what to say.

_You don't need to say anything… just be there for Hinata-chan,_ Alicia had said.

He just sat there and let the girl cry.

And the very next day, she would walk to school once more with her confidence returned, her resolve renewed.

_She bounces back from all of this so well, _he had once thought, and admired her for it.

The thing was, even before graduating, he didn't find this strange – he had always been Hinata's sparring partner, note-taker, and everything a little kid going through Ninja Academy would want in a friend and classmate.

And now, he was remembering that last talk they had, just before the academy graduation exams…

_Naruto-kun…would you still be my friend even after we graduate from the Academy?_

_Of course! You, me, Alicia-oneechan, Lazy Shika, Shino-kun, Chouji-kun, Kiba… I'm never going to stop being your friend!_

_Can you promise me something?_

_Sure, not a problem._

_Promise me you won't forget about me…_

_Hey, why are you looking like that all of a sudden? Of course I promise! I take care of everyone precious to me, even you, Hinata! Hinata? Oh no, she fainted again…_

_

* * *

_

Uzumaki Naruto was silently in thought as he looked out the window of the Hokage's office, realizing that his dread was justified, and that the coming day would see more changes come over him, his friends, his family, and his village.

It was only now that he stopped and took account of the fact that while he may act like a kid, he was just fooling himself.

Now, he had to put childish things behind him, as circumstances had placed him onto this whole new world.

He didn't want to be dragged into this mess, but he promised himself he would protect the people important to him, and this was just one of those things he did in the line of his duty.

Despite his fear, despite his hesitation, he knew that as long as he stayed true to protecting those precious to him, he'd get through it just fine.

And everybody had better believe that.

Chapter 15 - **END**

**a/n: **Yeah, it sounds highly contrived, but this is part of the consequences of Danzou biting it early. Future events may bring more uncertainty… and the one thing I intend to do is to milk the tension from this as much as I can. After all, this is Naruto being forced to grow up, much like Sasuke after the Uchiha massacre.

And yes, more cameos, shout-outs, and theory crafting abound in future chapters.

If you're a sharp reader, you can immediately figure out what Jiraiya meant by "we messed up" and link it with the drastic change in the Fox's demeanor.

Next chapter: Alicia faces the Dragon Tribe's elder, Naruto squares off against Gamabunta, deals with the duty of leading a Clan, and finally squares off against Hyuuga Neji in the Finals.

R&R please, because I can probably make this chapter a whole lot better (a remake will be in the offing, I just need to place these ideas online immediately then have it refined by consensus).

If you want to suggest stuff, that's what the forum's for – the link is in my profile.

Thanks and until next time.

BTW, Happy Valentine's Day (and any resemblance of names from one series to this fic is purely coincidental – I hope).


	16. Amazing Grace

_Disclaimer: _None of this is mine.

foreword: ZOMG FLAMES! Before you drop this story because of "x event" or "x character" you dislike, you might want to stick around and see what happens next on account of bile fascination, watching train wrecks, et. al.

No, Alicia won't be summoning world-destroyers at this point in the story, and up to a certain point in the future. You can be sure of that. (It's not like Dragon Knight is Siegfried's strongest form, now is it?)

And yes, it gave me a morbid sense of fascination to tack on a cliché storyline and watch people blow themselves up all over it. It gives me great pleasure to see people get all worked up for something that has the possibility of **not** happening in a future chapter.

For a bunch of Naruto readers, seeing underneath the underneath is proving difficult… but I guess I'm not asking for much here. Just stick around, as said before, some things might not be what they seem.

Anyway, for those of you still interested, here's the Naruto vs. Neji fight.

* * *

_Everything felt like it happened a lifetime ago. What I wanted was acknowledgment. What I received was a family._

_Power... all the time I've wanted power to protect those precious to me. What shall I do when the power I've gotten isn't what I wanted... isn't what I needed?_

_I'll fight... if any, there is nothing left for me to do but fight, and make my own way with these hands.  
_

_Naruto: Arcane Heart will now begin._

_

* * *

__**Naruto: Arcane Heart**_

**Chapter 16: Amazing Grace**

Uzumaki Naruto left the Hokage's office feeling like a total heel.

Not only did he sign that accursed Clan Restoration Contract, he also signed on Aunt Precia and Alicia-oneechan as senior and junior retainers (respectively), Momochi Haku as an allied clan, and an engagement contract with Hyuuga Hinata that by some miracle of Amaterasu the Heavenly Empress had Hinata's mother's signature on it.

As he walked out of the office, he could see Kiba, Sakura and Sasuke excitedly chat among themselves as they waited for their sensei.

He brought his eyebrows together and silently swore.

_I hate this._

Unknown to him, the Toad Sage watched him leave…

* * *

He couldn't find the words to describe what he was feeling – it was like he was repulsed with himself, pitied himself, was massively disappointed in himself, and the feeling of sheer and utter helplessness, not unlike the time he had pranked his Aunt Precia and those disappointed eyes of hers gazed at him for a mere moment.

He could still remember that time, but only now it was much worse.

This was playing with the lives of others, and he didn't like it one bit.

His heart felt like it weighed several pounds heavier as it thudded in his chest.

He continued walking along the main road of Konoha feeling lower than trash until he felt an arm around him.

"Naruto, my boy!" Jiraiya said. "I heard you got summoned to the Hokage's office. What happened?"

"Don't want to talk about it…" he answered glumly.

"Come on, let's go. You still haven't summoned Gamabunta while your onee-chan already answered the call to the community of the Dragon Tribe."

He merely nodded morosely as he let the Toad Sage lead him out of town. _At least this will get all this crap that's been happening off my mind._

* * *

"Excellent Suiryudan, Sakura," Kakashi said. "But woefully inefficient. You expended most of your chakra on just one jutsu, leaving you unable to use your chakra control. What then?"

"I improvise," the pink-haired girl managed to say before drooping from exhaustion.

"Nice answer, but not good enough."

"Now, from here, you learn how to use these new techniques of yours efficiently," Kakashi said. "Ebisu, take the floor."

* * *

His chakra was nearly gone, and he was at his most frustrated with all these damn tadpoles and the occasional summon of Gamakichi, and it had just reached the breaking point when Jiraiya left to do his "research".

_Damn everything. Damn this situation, damn this exam, damn this stupid contract, damn stupid me for signing said stupid contract, damn all these things that seem to happen and I can't do a single damn thing about it!_

Imitating another one of his childhood favorites, Uzumaki Naruto sliced a kunai across his hand and began the sequence of hand seals for the Kuchiyose no Jutsu in sheer and utter frustration:

**"THIS HAND OF MINE IS BLEEDING BADLY! ITS CLOTTING GRIP TELLS ME TO SUMMON A BIG ONE! TAKE THIS, MY LOVE, MY ANGER AND ALL MY SORROW!"** he shouted as he finished the sequence and thrust his bleeding palm onto the ground.

**"****NINPO: KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU!"**

There was a massive puff of smoke in the training area just outside Konoha…

* * *

Before she could do her own variation of the Official Konoha Academy Sentai Squad Victory Dance, Alicia Testarossa found herself in a very strange place: walls of stone, carvings of wings, murals of ancient battle and conflict painted on the ceilings.

The man who had guided her here was long gone, and a strange chill crept into her.

_Was this the land of Summons? _Alicia asked herself.

A presence had registered in her mind, beckoning her towards the far end of the room.

And there, seated, was an old man.

When she had closed the distance between them, he chuckled.

"The first question you would ask is probably the most impertinent and irrelevant one of all – yet it is the key that will unlock the rest of your answers," he said.

"…Why am I here?" Alicia asked.

"Oh… we had sworn to keep out of your world for so long, once we had taken the opportunity to leave that world for this one, many of my tribesmen took the chance."

"What about you, sir?"

"Me? Oh, I am the pioneer. First one to actually arrive and set up shop here, after granting the power of Infinity to a little boy a bit older than you, little girl," he said, smiling.

"What is Infinity?"

"Oh, it's nothing significant to you at this point," the old man answered. "Suffice it to say that it was the biggest reason we had to leave for this place."

"Why? Did you leave out of fear?"

"No… it's not that. Some of us did, but they soon saw the true meaning of their choice. As it is, most of us here have our powers still bound."

"So that's why all I can summon are Whelps…"

"Yes… I can still recall the last one who passed the test I had given. Blue hair, noble demeanor… he brought the items our tribe required back then, and we had gifted him with our power… so I heard, he had pledged his soul to eternity, has he?"

"Who do you speak of, sir?"

"What a respectful young lady. My name is Griol. And you are?"

"…Alicia…"

"What a pretty name…" Griol remarked, "…anyway, as I was saying, the valiant knight of the ancient Kanavan Kingdom, the legendary Spell Knight, Ronan Erudon had risen to the challenge we had offered, and became the Chase's first Dragon Knight."

"…The Chase?"

"If you have the time, please let me tell you a little story…"

Alicia nodded. If there was one thing she liked hearing, it was stories. Stories her mother weaved about the mystical legends of Al Hazred, legendary battles fought by known mages of old, the heroes of Midchilda and Ancient Velka… the lines they drew, the battles they waged, epic fights, epic loves and many other things…

"Ah yes, here we go," Griol said, opening a leather-bound book and beginning to read.

…_This is the story of a world that burned in conflict, manipulation, intrigue and warfare… I guess it was much like your own, right now._

_And from out of this inferno… several heroes rose up to win back the pride and freedom of the human race. Some of them were part of what little of the Elves remained in that world, others had immersed themselves in study or art, and still others fought and fought as valiantly as they could._

_As their battle carried them across castles, mountains, even continents, they had wrested every victory from monsters, sorceresses, dark presences, even the very deities that governed their world._

_This little group called themselves… the Grand Chase…_

_

* * *

_

"This is the Chidori."

An electrified hand slammed into a boulder.

"Sensei, why have you taught us something so powerful and yet so useless?" his genin had asked after witnessing the display.

"First things first, you ARE correct; anyone without the Sharingan eye would have little to no use of this technique. Second of all, this is only half of the technique I'm aiming to teach you."

He formed the hand seals again.

"Now this is the Chidori Senkou."

_

* * *

_

"_Fear not, for the very God of Origins has sent me to protect you through this battle!" the Elven Guardswoman cried as a wave of power flashed from her, negating the falling spheres of chaotic energies falling from the heavens…_

"_We can do this if we do it together, right?"_

"_If we stand together as one, nothing can stop us!"_

"_Let's dance!"_

"_For the glory of Kanavan!"_

"_Feel the wrath of the forests!"_

"_Let's make them wish for 100 years of pain!"_

_

* * *

_

The massive toad looked down at Uzumaki Naruto.

"You the wise-guy who brought me here?" he bellowed.

The boy seemed to smirk at him before he yelled out, "Yeah… t'was me, so what?"

"Impossible."

"That's just as impossible as a gangster toad that's way, way taller than me!" Naruto shouted back.

"Are you angry?"

"No, I'm yelling because I think you might not hear me!"

"Kid, the only things who can hear you out here, aside from me, are birds. I'm going now."

_Crap! _Naruto thought. _Think back to Gamatsubo. Think! Think fast!_

_Oh yeah, I remember, the larger toads like to act like gangsters! That's it!_

"Uh, Gamabunta, sir…" he asked, his voice much less forced – but still loud enough to reach the giant toad, "before you leave, do you want to catch a film?"

"I might. What's this film of yours called?"

Naruto grinned wickedly. _Score._

_

* * *

_

"And now for something completely different," Ebisu said as he had finally deemed these genin competent enough. "now we work on your physical efficiency."

"…this is where I come in," a familiar voice called out to them.

"Oh, look, Kiba, it's your dream girl," Sasuke snarked as Mitarashi Anko made her grand entrance. _Guy might look like a glorified babysitter, but he knows his chakra control exercises. I could do more with less chakra now than before._

"Trust me, Uchiha, by the time this is over, even the Inuzuka will come to hate my guts," she said, brandishing a kunai.

"Let's dance."

_

* * *

_

Several hours later, Griol finished his tale to see the little blonde girl with red eyes still sparkling at the tales of wonder, adventure and peril he had just wrought.

"Congratulations," he softly told the spellbound girl, "I give you my blessing."

_To be able to use the Dragon Summoning Contract to its full extent requires not only power._

_It also requires the summoner to be a visionary. __Dragons are one of the very few creatures who can exist between the temporal and the ethereal planes._

___I can see this girl possessing the vision and the resolve to bring this to pass,_ the Elder thought.

She blinked as a sliver of the elder dragon's power flowed into her, and immediately afterward a presence jumped out of Siegfried: a ghostly young knight with blue hair and a noble demeanor.

"Esteemed Elder Griol," the voice said in greeting.

"Ah, Ronan… Ronan Erudon. You still call me elder when our ages are closer to centuries now?"

"True, but now…" the ghost known as Ronan Erudon replied as he looked at the girl. "Alicia, right?"

She nodded.

"Well, first and foremost, I would like to thank you for being the one to wield me in battle. Never before have I encountered one with a conviction to match my own." Alicia made to bow, but Ronan stopped her. "Now, now, I've seen you fight, there's no need to be humbled at this. What I merely require is that this praise of mine - instead of making you complacent - spurs you further into improving yourself. And now that you have the Dragons' blessing, you will be able to use my knowledge as a Dragon Knight as part of your Device's Glaive Form."

Alicia aimed to nod, but the entire sequence had her head begin to wobble on her shoulders.

"Her stay in this place has exhausted her, it seems," Griol observed. As Ronan made to return within the Device, the Dragon Elder had to continue further. "Do not worry, I shall ensure she gets to where she needs to be safely. After all, she is the first one to wield our power in this way in a long while, hasn't it?"

"True," Ronan replied, "who do you think is the Dragon she will summon?"

"If she becomes overrun with hatred rather than the need to protect, then your world will be in peril…" Griol warned.

Ronan nodded. "I'll make sure her mother knows."

"Until next time, brave Knight of Kanavan," Griol said as he waved farewell.

"Yes, it has been an honor, Esteemed Elder, Fare you well," Ronan said before both Spirit in Device and girl were summoned back to the world-plane by the Elder's draconic power.

* * *

As night fell over Fire Country, the massive toad known as Gamabunta was strangely silent as it stood over a large training area near the outskirts of town…

He looked.

And looked.

And watched.

And then came the part he relished the most.

Three voices echoed in the twilight silence.

"Okay, you want to play rough? Okay… **say hello to my little friend**!"

A boom from a set of speakers rattled nearby roosting birds, and more flew away with Gamabunta's massive laugh.

"You know, kid," he boomed out a few moments later as the man on screen floated lifelessly on his own display pool (an ironic reminder of his motto – the world is yours), "there was one other person who got me to help him this way. But it was a different film we watched together."

"Which film?" Uzumaki Naruto asked.

The gigantic toad immediately drew his knife and pointed it towards the boy, mere inches in front of his face. "Say 'what' again, I dare you; I double dare you, motherfucker, say what one more goddamn time!"

The boy hesitated for a moment, until Gamabunta put away the knife, and then he realized what the toad had wanted to tell him.

They laughed, and looked across the lake for a pretty long while.

"Pity Jiraiya told me not to share a drink with you until your first kill, kid!" Gamabunta said as he got up, the boy's silence getting too uncomfortable for him, as he had heard Jiraiya's stories about the boy. "You'd make a fine henchman!"

"Wait, does this mean we're all good?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Yeah," Gamabunta replied. "and before I forget, the guy who showed me that one was… yeah, Namikaze Minato – the Fourth Hokage, and your sensei's apprentice."

"Cool!" Naruto exclaimed. "I'll make sure to bring Gamatsubo and Gamakichi next time around when I get that video!"

"Gamakichi's a bit too young for that, kid," Gamabunta replied, earning another gust of laughter from the both of them.

"And lastly," the toad added before dismissing himself, "I know when you're faking that smile of yours. Don't do it. Makes you look much older."

Naruto just watched the forest for a good long time after Gamabunta had left.

* * *

That night, Naruto couldn't stop thinking.

Even after he went home and exchanged accomplishments with his oneechan Alicia, he still couldn't stop dragging his mind all over the ramifications of what he just did.

About the what-if's, the what-could-have-beens, the missed opportunities, wasted possibilities and how no good deed ever goes unpunished.

Most of all, he started cursing himself.

He didn't want any of this.

But just because he didn't think that Hinata's family was that bad as he heard from her, he was now reaping the consequences.

Not yet 13 years old, and he already agreed to this… this thing, just to ensure Hinata's continued safety. That, and even if Old Man Hokage allowed Hinata to branch off on her own, she'd be safe with the nice lady from Cloud, but it would mean she'd leave the Village, and probably get marked as a missing-nin, or worse!

The more he thought about it, the more his frustration piled up. If only Hinata and Neji never got to fight in the prelims… no. It wouldn't change a thing. Would it?

The doubt began pouring into him, until a sharp tug from the dreamscape slapped him back to reality.

_You already know what it means to think for the welfare of others more than yourself. There's me. Reynard. Your family. Haku. Your friends. Heck, even this entire village. Don't say you were unprepared for this responsibility, and don't say I have it easier than you do. These tails are a reminder of __**my own**__ sacrifice._

He was too absorbed in trying to find a way to solve this problem without the avalanche of political repercussions that would follow, that the Fox's revelation slid past his comprehension.

_Nothing productive will come of this,_ he thought. _But I can't help thinking about it._

He decided to just screw everything for the moment and take a walk around the town - all the while speculating on possible solutions to his predicament. Believe it or not, Hokage-sama even promoted Haku-chan to chunin under everyone's noses just to be Hinata-chan's personal bodyguard or something!

He had felt it at the time, that when he agreed to this, nothing would ever be the same again.

_But enough thoughts about what could have been._

_The important thing is the now._

All he needed to do was rest before the Chunin Exam Finals, and prove to them his last win wasn't some sort of fluke.

He'd also do it against the one who put Hinata in the hospital in the first place too, honor be damned.

Naruto was halfway through thinking up a plan to win in the Finals when he felt a hand on his shoulder - looking around, he saw his Academy sensei Umino Iruka.

"Iruka-sensei," Naruto said. "Good evening. How has it been?"

"Oh, this and that... Academy work has been rather boring without you and your crew around," the teacher replied. "So, I heard what happened. You're going in there with everything you've got, right?"

"Always, sir. Anyway..."

Iruka was a bit put off by the deflated look on the boy's face. "I know you take your training seriously, so this isn't your problem; something else is. Care to share?"

Naruto gave his Academy sensei a rather wan smile. "Not the details, you know how it is, I'm a genin already and all that."

"Fine, I won't pry. How about I treat you to some ramen?"

Naruto grinned. His guardian tended to save the really good stuff for special occasions, so he treasured each and every chance he'd get to partake of this culinary blessing.

"Sure thing, Iruka-sensei," he answered, his normally exuberant smile beginning to return.

After the food had been given to them and the requisite grace had been said, Naruto asked the question in between a mouthful of noodles.

"Sensei, what would you do if you were put in a situation where you have to do something really bad to help someone?"

"LIke in the context of a mission, or something else?"

"A mix of both, actually."

"Hmm, well, that's tricky..." the scarred chunin answered. "I know, maybe this could help: there was this quote several of my chunin colleagues had passed around while they were working for Konoha."

"What happened to them, sir?"

"Oh, those colleagues of mine?" Iruka answered. "Two are in the ANBU, one is working at the Hokage Tower, another is a hunter-nin, and one is no longer with us, bless her soul. Anyway, what was I saying? Yeah, the quote. I believe it went like this: 'grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference'."

Naruto's face brightened as he immediately knew what the saying implied.

_I have to know the whole story before I can say that I can't do anything about this, right?_

"Thanks, Iruka-sensei," Naruto said before the two began on their second bowl.

The rest of the evening had the teacher and his former student exchange small stories regarding the mishaps of their peers.

* * *

Deep inside, the personality Naruto knew as Reynard immediately smelled a rat as soon as Naruto got the saying.

Several, if he could actually ferret all of them out.

_You think this is some sort of weird, messed-up game and Naruto's caught in the middle, do you, Fox?_

_Yes… I think so. Naruto's too messed up right now to be thinking objectively. He should start thinking outside the box, underneath the underneath, yadda yadda yadda, et cetera. Who knows, he might be able to figure out the ruse if he could think and feel separately – if there was a ruse?_

_True, but it is at that very state that he managed to summon Gamabunta without our help, Fox._

_Be that as it may, drawing on these feelings will not make Naruto a stronger ninja, Lass. It will only serve to weaken him further._

_I wonder if he would look further and see the truth of that…_

* * *

Early the next day, he had reported to his Aunt Precia for Device training, but all she said was, "you need to work on looking underneath the underneath". She left the house, saying she was assigned to help out in preparing for the Finals and told him to take it easy during these last few days before the event - not even Visualization Training.

Precia-sama had a strangely vague lilt to her voice, and that only meant one thing for Naruto.

_She wants me to discover something__…_ but wants me to figure it out for myself.

Being rather obedient despite all that had happened so far, he started sorting through the situation.

He had all the facts, and it all fit together.

Fit together well.

_A little too well, it seems, _he thought.

Unfortunately, he didn't have the time to mull over these extreme consistencies because bright and early the very next morning, Uzumaki Naruto found himself on the Arena floor, facing off against Hyuuga Neji…

…and he couldn't even look at Hinata in the eye. He managed momentary glances at her, but looked elsewhere as soon as he felt her look in his direction.

She had looked a lot better after being hopelessly mangled in the preliminaries to the point where even Naruto thought all the Hokage's medics and all the Hokage's nin couldn't put little Hyuuga Hinata together again. Hinata was still in a wheelchair (but was fit enough to walk, don't ask – hospital protocol or something) and was being looked after by Haku.

As she looked over at Naruto standing among the seven competitors already gathered, Hinata felt choked by the need to tell him everything. She so desperately wanted to tell him about that night, when the blonde lady from Kumo approached her…

…but the thing was, after that visit, things had happened so fast. The Third Hokage had given her Naruto's teammate as a bodyguard up to the end of the Finals, and requested her discretion on this matter until the exams had ended.

She sighed, and just like her friend, was too busy thinking about the consequences that she didn't bother asking herself why Hokage-sama would ask her to keep a secret as big as this only until today…

"Relax. This isn't like the last time," the voice came from the hospital room doorway as someone walked in.

"You mean, 'it's everything like the last time, and then some'," Hyuuga Hinata replied, her eyes adjusting to the darkness and making out the forehead protector marked with the symbol of Kumogakure.

_I mustn't be afraid._

_Don't show any fear._

_They'll know and take advantage._

_Keep your composure, Hinata!_

_If you fail this, then a fate worse than a quiet death awaits you!_

"Not at all," the woman replied. "I'm unarmed."

"I see your chakra."

"I had the ANBU follow me here. **Leaf** ANBU."

Hinata hesitated, but yes, those were the chakra signatures and various little details she engraved into memory of the ANBU who were looking after her per the Hokage's order.

"I saw everything that had happened. Even if we were the reason your cousin put you here…" the woman said, hesitating, "Kumo… no, **I** want to do you a good turn in exchange for all this."

"A good turn, is it?" Hinata asked. "What kind of good turn do you speak of, kunoichi-san?"

"I bring you to Kumo and you start a clan under my protection."

Silence.

"Why would you do this?" Hinata asked rather sedately, though by all rights she should either be panicking or worse, fighting.

"Do you know what?" the Cloud-nin asked. "I don't even know why. Part of me wants to say it's because I'm a woman; another part says I wish I could be your sister; and still another says that you probably wouldn't be a failure in Kumogakure... but that last one's just me lying to myself."

"I see..."

"Strange, actually," Yugito added. "Is there something in the air here in Konoha, or just the mere thought of this place has me talking about things I don't even tell my Kage to someone I barely know?"

Hinata just smiled.

"I don't need your answers now, though," Yugito said before leaving. "Feel free to think it over."

Hinata stared at the doorway for a good, long time.

* * *

…and when she saw the look on his face as if he had committed some sort of capital crime against her, it grieved her so much.

_ Oh, Naruto-kun…_

* * *

"Will Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Neji please step up to the stage?" the fourth proctor, a sickly-looking special jonin, said.

Naruto, who up until that point was waiting under the shadow of an alcove, stood up and stalked noiselessly towards the arena. He twirled his Device into action: Reynard replicating itself so that both Naruto's hands held the daggers into his accustomed reverse grip and bowed quickly to the proctor.

Across the arena he saw his opponent, Hyuuga Neji.

And that pompous look on the Hyuuga prodigy's face he was just itching to wrench off with Reynard.

"The first match of the day: Uzumaki Naruto versus Hyuuga Neji!" announced the proctor with a voice amplification jutsu, and everyone was on their feet as he raised his arm to signal the start of the contest.

"Are both of you ready?" he asked.

After both genin nodded, he lowered his arm. "Fight!"

Naruto took the initiative, dashing in with his daggers drawn, aiming to score a quick stab to finish the fight early. Evading a few Gentle Fist strikes that meant to lock a joint or cause a muscle to seize, he threw several feints and a thrust kick that was easily blocked before leaping back.

_He's even faster now than the fight versus Hinata._

His eyebrows narrowed at this, but then, he finally put the plan together.

_I'll try projectiles - and see what his reaction will be._

"Reynard! Let's go! Bloody Dagger!" he yelled, finishing the incantation.

**"**_**Blutiger Dolch."**_

He threw a hail of kunai at Neji.

Five.

Ten.

Twenty.

And then he lost count, and just kept throwing, and throwing, and throwing.

True to form, Neji evaded the first few, parried the next, and when the sheer volume of kunai Naruto was throwing threatened to overwhelm him, he spun in the Hyuuga technique of the Hakkesho Kaiten, deflecting all the kunai Naruto threw in random directions.

In spite of this, Naruto kept throwing… and throwing… and throwing.

After what seemed like an eternal stalemate, Naruto stopped, and grinned.

"Dizzy?" he asked.

Neji growled. "A simple trick like that won't work on a Hyuuga."

"Maybe, maybe not," Naruto shrugged as he charged back at the prodigy. _So far, so good..._

* * *

_It was useless to fight destiny._

_What Fate had decreed cannot be undone._

The seal on Hyuuga Neji's head was proof that this was so, and would continue to be so until the end of his life and beyond.

It was destiny that made Uzumaki Naruto charge foolishly at Neji, right into the range of his Divination Field.

He didn't need the whispers of any goddess of destiny or fate or whatever to know that this was the moment.

The moment to prove that destiny – after all is said and done – cannot be denied.

* * *

"You still stand, but it is a futile approach. The finishing strike of the Gentle Fist has all but closed all of your tenketsu. Give up."

Uzumaki Naruto got up unsteadily, feeling the effects of the Divine Sixty-Four Strikes radiating pain all over his body. But that wasn't what caught his attention.

In the stands, he saw Hyuuga Hinata seated on that wheelchair… and that blonde jonin-sensei from Kumo.

She bowed lightly to the Hyuuga.

Hinata-chan bowed back.

Nearly all of it came to him.

_So this is why these things happen, _Naruto thought. _Is this what this Neji called Fate?_

_If it is, then I'm the son of a Kage._

He didn't have to listen to Neji's little speech about the seal binding him on his forehead, as he had heard the story from Hinata a long time ago - back at the Academy.

And then, he laughed.

"You keep talking about your destiny. Fate. All that crap. But you know what I think?" Naruto said. "You may not have control over that seal on your head. I may not have control over what's sealed within me, but everything after that, oh, everything after all of that, all of it was our own… free… action."

"What do you mean?"

"Unless my hunches fail me – and they rarely do – what you did in the preliminaries gave that Kumo jonin-sensei the opportunity she needed to try and persuade your cousin to head over to Kumogakure **of her own free will**."

"Let them have a failure like her, then," Neji replied, though that last shot disturbed him a bit.

"You really don't understand anything, do you?" Naruto roared. "YOU ROYALLY MESSED UP! All that talk of fate and destiny's just a load of excuses! YOUR excuses! When worst comes to worst and your cousin's off in some Village either starting a Clan of her own or being forced to do God-knows-what, what then? Do you think that's destiny talking? Oh, no, you are responsible for all of this, believe it, **YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE!**"

He painfully raised his arms in his combat stance. "If you still can't see that, it seems I'll have to pull your head out of your ass… MANUALLY! REYNARD, KNIGHT ARMOR!"

_**"**__**Jawohl, Meister,"**_ a mechanical voice echoed throughout the stands.

_**"**__**Panzergeist - Flammenmodus."**_

A blinding flash of light exploded from Naruto, and when it settled down, his outfit had changed radically.

Gone was the dark-blue jacket with an orange stripe here and there – he was now sporting a light-blue sleeveless trench coat decorated with gray flames along the bottom; with armored gloves on his hands, thick pants, and lightly armored greaves covering his feet.

The daggers he held seemed to shine menacingly in conjunction with this change.

"It… it can't be…" Neji whispered.

"So much for destiny," Naruto whispered before shouting, "Round two, Neji!"

He dashed forward in a barely-recognizable whirl of motion, daggers at the ready.

* * *

_So, though he's capable of using the Scimitarform, he's not using it against Neji. Saving it for the semi-finals?_

Precia chuckled. _If only you devoted this talent of yours to your friends rather than your enemies, you would have gone much further by now and seen the truth of the matter._

* * *

What followed after Uzumaki Naruto's miraculous recovery from the Divine Sixty-Four Strikes was rapidly approaching the realm of nightmare for Hyuuga Neji.

The boy had taken the full brunt of his final attack, painfully stood up, and revealed he had more tricks up his sleeve.

Most of all, right now, his Gentle Fist strikes seemed to just bounce off the boy's outfit. He could hit his opponent's arms, but Naruto was too fast right now to get hit in the extremities.

He thought he could tire the boy out when he saw one of Naruto's thrown kunai.

Another thing that worried him as he turned his head to avoid a dagger slash: was his Byakugan deceiving him or did that kunai glow…?

* * *

"I'm not leaving anything to chance anymore," Naruto said as another exchange of blows had him at a slight advantage. Neji had tried to use a palm thrust towards Naruto's torso, only for the Uzumaki to twist into a variant of the Konoha Senpuu that sent the Hyuuga back several feet.

He formed his hands into the seals for his favorite technique.

Precia rose from her seat in abject horror.

_If he does that jutsu, his Linker Core and Chakra Circulatory System will be fried!_

"Reynard, Cartridge Load."

_**"Jawohl, Meister. Nachladen: technik-variante."**_

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."

Something metallic seemed to extend from the hilt of Naruto's strange daggers, and retracted back with a small hiss of smoke and a click.

"_**Geistkopie."**_

A giant cloud of smoke erupted in the arena, and when it subsided, there were a veritable horde of Narutos.

"Take him out," Naruto ordered, and his clones did just that.

* * *

It had been a full five minutes before Neji had whittled down the horde of clones to just five. _Damn it. How could I fall for such an obvious trick? Those kunai were simply henge'd shadow clones!_

_Even worse, he's trying to curb his losses by having his clones pull back every time I use Kaiten to block!_

_Is he trying to time my attacks?  
_

In the stands, Precia was grinning widely. _He found a way. The kid had found a way. I didn't even think about loading jutsus within my cartridges, but Naruto pulled it off!_

"Win it, Naruto!" she finally yelled, not for Naruto winning, but for the **possibility** of Naruto winning. "Win it!"

Within mere moments, the arena was filled with the sounds of cheering for both contestants.

As the cheers continued, Neji continued against what once was a horrible disadvantage in numbers.

_Damn it, damn it, damn it, _Neji thought. _I'm almost out of chakra…_

There were only two of the clones left.

And as they charged head-on at Neji, he poised ready for his last hurrah: a Hakkesho Kaiten powered by his belief in destiny.

He spun and dispelled one clone…

…But his spinning didn't even hit the other.

His hands passed through the second one.

But before Neji could react, he felt something in his gut.

Uzumaki Naruto had somehow found the split-second window in the technique and dove through his Kaiten and his Byakugan, nailing him with a stab to the gut.

_**"**__**Tödlicher Sturm."**_

A massive burst of energy rippled forth from the shallow stab, completely scrambling Neji's chakra pathways, and forcing his subconscious to shut off the Byakugan lest the misfiring bolts of chakra blind him – or worse.

Before Naruto leaped backwards, he whispered to Neji: "that's all the difference a moment makes."

As the Hyuuga staggered towards him, he still managed to talk. "H-how were you able to-to-to…"

Naruto held up three fingers.

"Henge, Kawarimi, Bunshin," he said as he counted off those three fingers he held up.

The three Academy jutsu.

"I never was able to do all those **very** basic of techniques until now, and I still can't do them well. Does that still make me a lesser ninja, or worse, a fool? …Or does that make you understand everything now?"

Neji still shook his head.

"You're lucky, you know. The Clan looks up to you as their wonder boy, their prodigy, the greatest Hyuuga in generations. Didn't even have the luck to select the right family to be born from, too, all this from dint of hard work, eh?" Naruto said, looking away from Neji towards the sky.

"Even now, without these new things Precia-sensei taught me, who knows? Maybe, in some other time, some other place, I would have been some other person." He walked over to Neji… and gently shoved his shoulder, causing the Hyuuga to slowly lose his balance and fall.

"To you, destiny is something that's past – something that you can't escape from now. To me, destiny is something to await – something I have to work hard for, even if I don't see any reward now, tomorrow, a week, or a month."

"You can get up from this, go back to the Compound, train even harder, and maybe we'll meet each other at the Finals of another Chunin exam once more," Naruto said, smiling. "Because it isn't destiny that says who wins and who loses. It's what we do with what we've been given."

His eyes flashed red briefly, and in an instant, Hyuuga Neji saw all of it.

"…I surrender," he said.

"See you in six months, then," Naruto said as he walked away to the proctor announcing him as the victor.

Neji was too shocked at another discovery - that he did not notice that Naruto did not mention Hinata's name - not even once - during their bout.

Back at the waiting room, Uzumaki dispelled Reynard's Knight Armor, responded to the nods his fellow nin gave him, and returned to his place at the corner, looking at the opposite wall.

_So much for big wins… I would have cheered, danced… but now I don't seem to care._

Alicia looked over at Naruto with much concern and went over to him.

"Naruto…"

"Don't, Alicia…" Naruto replied. "You still have your match."

"Afterwards, then?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied.

He was too busy looking at the wall that he had not found out that the matches were "creatively" rescheduled on account of Uchiha Sasuke's absence – no doubt the boy was knee-deep under the influence of "Kakashi Time".

Naruto didn't even bother to wonder where Kiba and Sakura were, so deep he was in his thinking.

He only looked up to see Shikamaru and the redhead from Kumo – what was her name? Aria? – walk over to the arena floor.

Chapter 16 – **END**

**a/n: **To those who have abandoned this fic: I'm not forcing you to read this, you're just gonna miss a whole damn lot. And I'm not revising the main story flow, just parts where the narrative gets choppy and the pacing begins to become problematic. **If you have any complaints about the pacing or anything, leave a message at the forum thread **(it's on my profile).

I also reply to reviews with nit-picks and things over there.

daughter of ether: this chapter just contained most of the answers regarding Alicia you want solved. Drop the fic if you want, just don't drop it without giving the author a chance.

More R/R please, because this is a labor of love and more love means faster work.

(I'm on-a-roll, gettit?)

Next chapter will feature Shika vs. Aria, Alicia vs. Tetsuya and the Sasuke vs. Gaara matches. It need not be said that other people want to drop in by this point.

...the "serenity prayer" is by Reinhold Niebhur, by the way.

Thanks!


	17. The Whole Nine Yards

_disclaimer: _none of this is mine. (Naruto belongs to Kishimoto, Nanoha belongs to Seven Arcs, and Grand Chase belongs to KoG.)

_more notes: _Well, the cat's out of the bag. Actually, two. (I'm talking about Siegfried and Reynard as Ronan and Lass, respectively.) And after a little conversation post-Chunin Exam arc with Uchiha Sasuke, this will probably be the last you'll see of the Dragon Sage.

I found it strange that no one noticed Naruto channeling everyone's favorite finishing attack chant (**WITH THE HELP OF KYOJI!**) when he summoned Gamabunta for the first time, oh well.

**THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!**

12K views and counting, which makes Nitramy-kun very very happy.

I'll do my best to keep getting better, and if anyone can beta for these stories for their eventual overhaul (and I'm sure you guys are looking forward to that), drop me a line! Either a message or IM will do, just dance on down to my profile!

Again, **THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!**

For now, just read on and enjoy.

* * *

_**Naruto: Arcane Heart**_

**Chapter 17: The Whole Nine Yards**

The buzz of the arena outside didn't seem to register to the boy one bit as he sat there, in his miserable little corner, lost in thought.

Two presences within him were torn at the moment as to attempt to sympathize with him, chastise him for these developments, or straight-out palm their faces at his condition.

Still, he did not notice, instead reverting back to his memories of several years ago…

* * *

_They were at his favorite spot in Konoha, the top of the Hokage mountain… talking. Just talking about things, like how Sakura and Ino were constantly at each other's throats over Sasuke, Shika being lazy, and how Mizuki-sensei never really got over his decaf-espresso switch last year._

_He wasn't blind – it had been close to two years since a family literally dropped into his lap, and learned from simply being with them the subtleties of human interaction._

"_All this time, and I never even actually got to thank you."_

"_Thank me?"_

"_Just when you started the Academy, all I did was see you try your hardest… it took me some time before I could look at you, let alone talk with you… and even Alicia had a hand in that."_

"_Why are you suddenly starting to talk like that? What have I done to make you start this way?"_

_The girl simply shook her head._

"_It's not so much as what you do; instead, it's what you are. If it weren't for your determination, I would have hid inside myself… I wouldn't be even half of what I am now."_

"_Gee, Hinata-chan, you're making this seem very important," Naruto said sheepishly, "I don't know…"_

"_Still… thank you, Naruto-kun… for everything so far."_

"_No problem, Hinata-chan. Along with Aunt Precia, Alicia-oneechan, Lazy Shika, Kiba-kun, Iruka-sensei and all our classmates at the Academy, you are all precious to me!"_

_He stood up and railed at the heavens._

"_I'll stand by them, and they'll stand by me until my dreams and theirs are realized… believe __**that**__!"_

_

* * *

_

"Oi," the bartender said, gently shaking the sleeping man awake.

"…what?" the man managed to croak out as he was slowly roused from his slumber.

"You fell asleep. Inns were full, exam finals and all that, so I put a cushion under your head."

"Eh?" the man answered as he sat back up as straight as he could. "Oh. Thanks, man."

"No problem, it's my job," the bartender said as he continued tidying up the bar. "Besides, you're a lucky guy to have someone like Jiraiya vouch for you personally."

_It's nice to have a padrino, especially when you want to drink yourself to sleep._

"Coffee?" he asked, handing the Dragon Sage a steaming cup.

"Thanks," the Sage replied. "What's the ratio on this?"

"Ha! Ratio! Only in Konoha…" the bartender sighed, "anyway, it's one-one-two, if you really want to know."

"Excellent." He took a sip. "What time is it anyway?"

"Half past nine. The ceremony began fifteen minutes before nine a.m. and the first match is over."

"Who won?"

"The Uzumaki kid. Didn't even think he could pull that one off."

"He calls himself Konoha's Biggest Surprise with good reason," the Dragon Sage answered.

"That's true, and if the first match was that good, I can't wait for the next ones."

More clapping came from the television in the bar as the guy who drank himself onto sleeping on the bar groaned, his hangover beginning to take effect.

"Hey, you okay?" the bartender asked the Dragon Sage.

"No problem, I'm good," he answered. "I'd like a glass of water, please."

"Coming right up," the bartender answered, not knowing that under the Sage's stool, a Sound-nin lay quietly, knocked out by a blow to the back of the head.

"Will Shikamaru Nara and Kaburagi Aria please step onto the arena floor?" came the announcement, and the Dragon Sage merely chuckled.

_Oh, this is going to be interesting,_ he thought. _Might as well stick around for the fireworks._

_

* * *

_

_There, Hinata-chan, I kept my promise._

_I hope you don't think of me as a terrible person now._

_I just did what I needed to protect you._

He leaned his head between his knees, looking to wail his eyes out, but no tears would come.

* * *

At the waiting room, Alicia could see her little brother being absolutely torn up over something. She had asked her mother what it was, but Precia did not venture a reply.

"Sometimes I think you, Naruto, and I simply don't have what it takes to be ninja," she simply said.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know how to say it exactly, but the closest I can get to saying it is that we are gentle souls."

Somehow Alicia knew this and more, because the gentle ones are always the ones that snap in epic fashion.

The memory seal placed on her had held, but some of the more emotionally-charged moments her doppelganger, no, **sister **had experienced remained.

As she continued to look at Naruto, she thought that this was just another step in his path towards Hokage… if he'd only stand up and do what must be done.

_Not now, _she thought._ There's still these bouts to go through, and maybe then I could try to start helping my little brother out._

* * *

Meanwhile, it was a rather boring contest between the self-proclaimed "laziest genin in Konoha" and the self-proclaimed "cutest genin in Kumo".

Nara Shikamaru's tactics were – to the audience – boring as heck, but to those who could see and understand the nature of how the genin approached a contest such as this one, it was nothing short of genius.

His sensei looked on approvingly as the Cloud kunoichi kept dodging the thrown shuriken left and right, not bothering to block as that would give him the time he needed to herd her to the shadowed portions of the arena.

Aria found a gap in the long-range assault and moved in, "Genji" at the ready to smack the Nara around, only to hit thin air.

_A bunshin? How did he manage to…_

…right then and there, he used the shadow of her outstretched gauntlet to stop her from moving by simply stepping on it.

_And they say all he did in training was play shogi with his sensei._

"Yeah, you got her good!" Ino yelled. "Now make her strip or something!"

The audience looked at the one who made such a racy comment, and recalled that the Yamanaka was totally thrown off balance by the Cloud genin right before her match with Sakura.

Meanwhile, as she was immobilized, Kaburagi Aria's face started turning red at the Leaf kunoichi's cheer. _I meant to say that she was lucky – the bigger they are, the quicker they sag. Don't they know that flat chests are a status symbol in Kumo?_

"You win," she whispered to her opponent. "Hurry up and finish it."

Unfortunately, when she looked to him, she found the Leaf-nin looking strangely at a certain section of the audience.

"I think something big is going down later. Stick with your sensei when it does," he whispered to her, and looked back at the proctor. "I would have you punch yourself with that big old glove of yours, but my chakra is just about done. Proctor, I surrender."

He raised his hand in defeat.

"Er…" Gekkou Hayate – the proctor – said, "the winner is Kaburagi Aria."

He took the time to give his opponent a formal bow before ambling back to the waiting room, mumbling about "troublesome conspiracies" and "troublesome looking underneath the underneath crap" under his breath.

"There will be a five minute break before the third match of the day," came the announcement.

* * *

Back at the waiting room, Shidou Tatsuya was having a hurried conversation with his teammate.

"You're serious, right?"

"Yeah, I think he wouldn't lie to us."

"Or the Leaf-nin might lie for completely different reasons."

"Oh come on, Tatsuya," Aria said. "Think about the things he implied."

"This has something to do with the Sand genin, our scout getting waxed, the first appearance of that new village and a missing-nin popping up?" the large boy asked.

"The sum of those events… only means lots of trouble," Aria admitted. "He just told me to stick to our sensei just in case something went down."

"What do we do?"

"We keep on our toes," Aria said. "Don't stretch yourself out too thinly versus that Testarossa girl. If you find that she'll drag on the fight, throw it."

Tatsuya sighed. He had been looking forward to a beat-each-other-senseless-until-the-cows-come-home bout, but it was not to be now because of a probable emergency. "All right, Aria. Give the word to Yugito-sensei when you can."

"Good luck."

"You too," Tatsuya said, spying the Leaf kunoichi taking out an errant pebble in her ninja sandals, "and be careful."

* * *

_I didn't know when it started, but what I do know now is that Hinata became a better person just by being around me._

_Well, it was really that simple. Aunt Precia and Alicia-oneechan made me a better person, and I pay it forward to Hinata, Lazy Shika, Kiba-kun and everyone else, even Mr. Uchiha._

He sighed.

"Won't you wish me luck, Naruto-kun?" Alicia asked him just as the announcer called for her and the Kumo genin to head onto the arena for the day's third match.

"Good luck, Alicia," Naruto said, flashing a sad smile.

"Hey…" she added before running onto the arena, "…we'll get through this just fine."

Naruto smiled another one of his sad smiles at his oneechan.

_Maybe we can…_

* * *

She walked onto the meadow that was the arena for this Chunin Exam finals, breathing in the atmosphere and listening carefully to the eerie silence that usually creeps over crowds just when they know a big match is coming.

It was exactly the same thing that had happened in her match with Tenten-senpai.

Alicia Testarossa glanced over at her opponent – the gigantic Kumo genin who specialized in enhancing his musculature and protecting his tenketsus with chakra, going by Kurenai-sensei's report.

_If Neji had faced off against this monster, he would have stood no chance._

_No chance._

_Wait a damn minute._

She immediately formulated a plan.

_I have to warn Haku-chan and Hinata._

Glancing at the box where they were seated, it seemed that her paranoia was slightly unfounded, as her mother stood very close to Hinata and Haku-chan, and chatting with a cat-mask wearing ANBU, who seemed slightly familiar to her…

_I'll finish this as fast as I can,_ she thought, recalling a rather devastating attack by the General of Hell Bridge during one of her Visualization Training sorties.

"You know the rules: no lethal attacks until the situation calls for it, you win when your opponent gives up, goes limp, taps out, and when I deem the match to be over."

Both participants nodded.

"All right, back at the appropriate distances."

"Ready… fight!"

"_**Barrier Jacket: Knight Mode. Spellblade Mode, initiate."**_

"I'd rather you show what you're made of only at the right time, Siegfried," she whispered to her Device as the coat materialized around her and Siegfried transformed from pendant to weapon form.

**"**_**That is a wise choice, sir,"**_ Siegfried answered as its master grasped the hilt of the spellblade and stabbed her Device into the ground.

"I'm gonna win this without his help," she said quietly before drawing a pair of kunai and charging in.

Tatsuya was surprised at this development, but had recovered in time to grab a pair of his own kunai and parry her taijutsu attack. Despite her disadvantage in size, she had grown much faster than he had previously seen in the preliminaries…

* * *

"_The trademark of our combat style is speed," Precia Testarossa declared. "For most of this month, I'll have you mastering the basics in movement and combat under a pace that only a select few in this village can attain and/or maintain."_

"_What about defense?"_

"_Your Barrier Jacket is unique because it doesn't have any upkeep in terms of mana. It should serve you well through the Finals… if we get you up to half of my speed first."_

"…_just at half your speed, Mother?" Alicia asked._

"_I would get you to my full speed and even faster, had we more time. When we get to that point, I'll show you how to use 'Form Change' with Siegfried – in conjunction with afternoon sessions with the Toad Sage Jiraiya."_

"_That means I'll pull a double shift! I don't know if I can do it…"_

"_Alicia, we don't have a choice. Most of the spells for Siegfried's second Form Change are mode-locked for anyone not allied with dragons."_

"_And that's why the Dragon Sage met with us?"_

"_That's part of the reason; and Jiraiya already has that contract – we'll sign the contract for Dragons when you get to Form Change Siegfried on your own."_

"_Understood, Mother," Alicia responded._

"_This will be an order of magnitude more difficult than even training with Yuugao-san," Precia said as she finished explaining to her daughter the training regimen for the several weeks that would follow. "Prepare yourself."_

_

* * *

_

_Damn, she's fast! _Tatsuya thought as another wide kick sloughed off a chunk of chakra he'd been using to protect his vital points from direct assault.

_At the rate I'm going, I'm gonna have to get serious!_

He glanced over at the waiting area, to where his worried teammate watched him blocking and dodging another flurry of blows from the Leaf kunoichi.

At the stands, Sarutobi Asuma grit his teeth. _This little girl doesn't seem to know just how good she is! _The limited upper-body strength all kunoichi had on the average seemed to be nonexistent as Alicia made up for it in speed and that kunai technique she used.

_Not even using specialized tools, too… and she releases it in small bursts, as well!_

He looked over to the genin's mother in a nearby row, talking with one of her genin – Haku was his name – and rubbed his chin with the thumb of one hand in a thinking gesture.

_If she can get a genin to be that good off the bat with element manipulation, what would she be able to teach chunin or even jonin? I even heard she got Kakashi to upgrade that trademark technique of his with a few choice words._

When his thoughts had turned to the word "trademark", something else clicked in him.

_Shika-kun would surrender this quickly?_

_But why would he do that? Unless he thinks something fishy's going on…_

His one hand continued the thinking gesture as his other hand unlatched the trench knives he had strapped to his waist…

…and back in the arena proper, Tatsuya was just about to throw the fight until he irrevocably lost.

Granted, he was doing well in defending against those blows Alicia kept throwing, but since he was focused on tanking and blocking the barrage of attacks, he couldn't pay attention to his surroundings.

Alicia knew this and was pushing it even faster so he wouldn't have a decent bearing on where he was in the arena.

"Those hits of yours may be able to break my chakra cloak, but I still have another layer of defense!" he said as he backpedaled away from a blocked thrust kick that would have connected with his solar plexus.

Alicia smiled, as the game plan she had gone over with her sensei Kurenai had finally paid off – now to cash in.

"It's time for me to get really serious!" he shouted.

"You won't need to. Siegfried, now! Stone Curse!"

A pulse of energy radiated from some unknown source behind Tatsuya, causing the chakra cloak he had to immediately take on the consistency of rock as it hardened, spreading across him.

"W-w-w-what is this?" he asked.

"Look behind you," Alicia said, "oh, wait, you can't."

"You said you'd win without that sword!" Tatsuya exclaimed, the drowning feeling of chakra hardening all over his body about to reach unbearable levels.

"I lied," Alicia replied as she commanded Siegfried to reverse the pulse, dispelling most of her opponent's chakra. He had barely taken a step when she dashed in and put the point of her kunai mere inches from the boy's eye.

"Ugh, I surrender," he said. _Hoodwinked again, how embarrassing._

"Winner, Alicia Testarossa."

The genin from Kumo collapsed after the chakra dispelling had left him winded, and Alicia held him up until his teammate and jonin-sensei finished dashing across the arena and would begin getting him to the infirmary.

"It didn't look that bad, did it, Aria-chan?" he asked.

"No, it didn't… it didn't at all. You did great," Aria replied. "This won't take him out for long, right?"

"I don't know," Alicia answered the Kumo kunoichi. "Maybe you should get your sensei to stick around with you guys at the infirmary."

Tatsuya's voice had dropped to a whisper. "So you know?"

Alicia's reply had also been just as soft. "Lazy Shika told me as he passed me by. Where's Shinta?"

"Up in the stands…"

"He'll have a better chance with you guys against whatever this is should stuff start coming down," Alicia whispered, before returning to her normal conversational tone, "great match. We should do this again sometime."

She carefully eased Tatsuya's arm off her and onto the Kumo jonin-sensei, bowed, and pried her sword off the ground before running off towards the waiting room, waving at the applause.

"Yugito-sensei…" Aria said.

"I already had Shinta-kun go on ahead to the infirmary," Yugito answered. "Once we get you in a ward, we'll see through whatever's coming together."

"Yes, sensei," her genin responded.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the stands, Yuuhi Kurenai and Aburame Shino applauded the performance of their teammate, who flashed their section of the arena an epic V-for-victory sign with both hands in her achievement before going back to the waiting room.

They looked back to the recent past, as it was during another C-ranked mission when Alicia had shown what she was really made of, tearing through the bandits' ranks with Kanavan Strike while her other teammates picked the stragglers off one by one.

Of course, being the oneechan of the devious Academy tactician known as Uzumaki Naruto helped a lot in the little time Alicia spent with her jonin-sensei in mapping out a plan of action for her opponent.

Nor need it be said that they had some sort of schandenfreude to see a Kumo nin (granted it was just a genin) get beat down easily, as the Hyuuga incident wasn't exactly ancient history to them – as this thought rushed along, Shino took a discreet glance close by, where Hinata was being flanked by Haku and Alicia's mother Precia.

_I'm waiting for those Kumo-nin to try something. Come on… try to get Hinata!_

Sensing their rather morbid thoughts, teacher and student laughed a bit, looked at each other, and laughed some more.

"How soon do you think will the Uchiha arrive, sensei?"

"Since Kakashi took him on? I assume you know what 'Kakashi Time' means around here, Shino," Kurenai replied.

"…a reputation well-deserved," Shino replied as he pushed the bridge of his glasses up a bit before shuddering.

* * *

It was time for the last match of the quarterfinals, but Uchiha Sasuke still didn't show up.

Everyone was thinking the same thing: _oh crap, it's Kakashi Time all over again, and he's infected someone else with it, too!_

Fortunately, the earlier matches didn't take that long, so the event coordinators pulled a fifteen-minute refreshment break from thin air… it was only after this and five minutes of waiting that they would then hand over the "win by forfeiture" to a rather frustrated Gaara.

Speaking of Gaara, he went to the canteen, got himself a little something to eat before the match, and went back to his favorite spot and waited for the break to end.

All the while, his mind was on the Uchiha. _Do not crush. Do not crush. Do not crush. Do not crush. Do not crush._

Uzumaki Naruto took a moment from his brooding to look over at the red-headed Suna-nin and ask him something.

"Is the wait bothering you?" He just looked at the guy who asked him this question, nodded, and returned to staring at the wall, leaving a shrugging Naruto to his thoughts while muttering things about how he wouldn't tear the Uchiha limb from limb immediately.

Fortunately, the event coordinators didn't have to use their "five-minute wait before Uchiha Sasuke loses by forfeit", because the arena speakers immediately exploded with Inuzuka Kiba's voice.

"We know you've been waiting all day, so it's time for the Match of the Day!"

Everyone got lulled from their boredom by the sheer excitement of the voice. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, ninja of all shapes, ranks, and sizes, the Village Hidden in the Leaves' Genin Team 7 proudly present to you… the one, the only, **Uchiha… SASUKE!**"

A massive explosion of smoke in the middle of the arena, and when it subsided, there he was – the last of the Uchiha Clan, all ready to rumble.

"Brilliant… BRILLIANT!" bellowed Gaara of the Sand. If there was one thing that would make extinguishing this enterprising little genin's existence so much better, it would be pomp, spectacle, and drama.

His hands were trembling on his sides in sheer unholy excitement as he dissolved himself into sand and made his way onto the arena floor.

"My, aren't you excited," the proctor muttered as a stream of sand rematerialized into the red-haired Sand genin, who popped up at just the right distance opposite his opponent and the proctor.

"You already know the rules," he said, to which both participants nodded.

"Very well, then: Sabaku no Gaara, are you ready?" the proctor asked, raising his arm.

"Uchiha Sasuke, are you ready?"

He dropped his arm, signaling the start of the bout.

"**FIGHT!**"

Gaara didn't waste any time, sending monstrous sand-claws hurtling towards the Uchiha, primed to either injure, maim, or kill.

Backpedaling out of the murderous sand, Sasuke then went into a strange taijutsu stance, tapping his front foot to a beat before pushing forward, kunai drawn.

"Damn, he's fast," Aria said as she saw the Leaf-nin go even faster as he started flanking Gaara.

_Is this Lee's taijutsu style? No, I can see just bits and pieces of it. The style also has parts of ANBU-requisite forms, Anko's snake-style and some other odds and ends I don't know… yet, _Precia thought as the last Uchiha landed the first hit of the match, a spinning kick reminiscent of Guy and Lee's Konoha Senpuu that got into the Suna-nin's armor.

_It's just like in the preliminaries. He has another layer of sand armor. Worse, he can use Suna Bunshin to confuse me and possibly compromise a limb or worse. If that happens, I'm good as dead._

Sasuke's hands formed seals as he went into the next phase of his attack.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto was just sifting through those memories of enjoying a different show with his friends when something in his gut disturbed him greatly.

_Something's wrong._

He tried to figure it out, but his mind was still discombobulated from figuring out why he had to sign that contract with Hokage-sama about a Clan, so he gave up thinking and just decided to leave the matter with his more street-smart friends, i.e. Lazy Shika.

* * *

"He's going as fast as I am now," Alicia observed.

"That's not the most troublesome scene I'm seeing," Shikamaru replied. "Look over at the box where Gaara's teammates are."

She squinted as she looked over where Shikamaru discreetly pointed. "They're not watching that intently, it's as if they're not worried about Gaara."

"It's not that," Naruto said, finally snapping out of his funk and standing up. "You saw what that Gaara fellow did to Lee. Strongest taijutsu specialist a year ahead of our batch and he gets an arm wrenched off for his trouble."

"So they know Gaara will win?"

"They're planning something else."

"Crap."

"How is he moving so fast, anyway?" Alicia asked. "I don't feel him channeling chakra, nor do I sense weights… it's probably a regimen like my mother's."

"Speaking of your mother, do you think Aunt Precia knows about what's coming?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know, maybe I should…"

The hair on the back of Naruto's head started to rise.

"…We're too late, damn it," Naruto said as in the arena, Sasuke used a Housenka no Jutsu to hide his channeling chakra…

* * *

Sasuke had given up actually hitting Gaara – he was now content with applying as much blunt-force trauma to his opponent's armored body to slow down not only his response rate but also the speed his sand reacted to outside threats – and the results definitely showed.

The sand kept going slower and slower as Sasuke started to get into the rhythm of his taijutsu and moved even faster as the match progressed.

A few more hits, and he could see in the moments where he could catch a glimpse of his opponent that Gaara was beginning to feel the effects of all those cumulative hits.

Sand armor or not, Kiba had said his teammate kicked like a horse, and even with armor, anyone who got kicked by a horse will tell you that it hurts like a bitch.

Sasuke nailed Gaara in the breadbasket with the last punch he threw before a literal barrier of sand rose from the ground and surrounded the Suna-nin with a spherical barrier of compacted sand.

Sasuke threw a brace of kunai and the fact that sand spikes deflected all of the projectiles didn't seem to faze him at all.

He started a sequence of hand seals. _Everything's going according to plan._

The last Uchiha fired off the Housenka no Jutsu, impacting onto the surface of the sand shell. Before the sand eye could register his presence, he had dashed forward with even more speed, Sharingan eyes spinning, and thrust his right arm towards the weakest point in the sand he'd seen with his special eyes.

Mere moments before impact, a sudden spike of blue-white chakra began to snap and crackle, astounding the audience just as Sasuke tried to mask the sound with a war cry of his own.

Thunk.

* * *

Right around the time a chakra-laced hand thrust into Gaara's shell of compacted sand, the genjutsu started to spread around the audience. Most of the civilians who got hit with it immediately went under, falling asleep because of its effects.

"It's coming!" Naruto shouted as he sensed a massive spike of chakra being molded from the arena floor.

The chakra pulse that was released had blown Gaara's assailant off, a good two-thirds of the sand shell, and the genjutsu around the arena, revealing Gaara with a neatly cauterized hole through his shoulder, the product of Sasuke's newly-learned jutsu.

"Pain… pain… **I HURT!**" bellowed the Sand-nin as another stronger pulse of chakra was released, pinning the Uchiha to the floor with its pressure.

_What in the devil is this guy? _Sasuke thought.

Right then and there, Gaara's teammates and sensei swooped down onto the arena floor and, after whispering a few words in the redhead's ear, went off, only to be stopped by the proctor now and the proctor in the preliminaries.

"**GO!**" the Suna jonin-sensei ordered. "I'll hold them off, keep going with the plan!"

"Oh… a plan?" Gekkou Hayate said as the three genin from Suna sped away into the forest. "Hey, Genma. This guy from Suna was talking about a plan."

"A plan, eh Hayate? Of course you realize this means war," Shiranui Genma said, his trademark senbon needle now held between two fingers instead of between his teeth. "Er…" he added to Gaara's opponent - who was now just regaining his bearings, "you might want to stay out of this, Uchiha."

The three jonin immediately went at each other as mayhem erupted everywhere, and Uchiha Sasuke discreetly took a step back. Wouldn't make for good form to interrupt, and besides, he might just end up caught in the buzz saw of action and get ripped to pieces.

Several ninja bearing the musical note on their forehead came towards Sasuke. _Mere genin. They think they can rush me down? _The Uchiha thus swooped in and took the fight to them as the sounds of battle grew greater and greater around him.

* * *

Before Hatake Kakashi, Inuzuka Kiba and Haruno Sakura could reach their teammate, they had to cut through the ranks of Sound shinobi which seemed to come out of nowhere.

_A mass substitution?_ Kakashi thought. _No, they must have lain in wait. Where did the gap in our defenses come from anyway? No time for that, those guys from Suna are getting away!_

"Yo," Kakashi said as soon as they reached their teammate in the arena floor. The masked former ANBU also managed to kick away a Sound genin aiming to hit Sasuke from behind with a compressed-air blast.

"**YOU!**" a Sound genin said, remembering what horrors he endured at the hands of the Inuzuka.

"How's singing soprano at the choir getting at, huh?" Kiba asked as he wasted no time in putting the Sound-nin away with a Tsuuga to the midsection before he could raise his arms in that air-blast technique of his.

"You all right?" Sakura asked even before the unfortunate Sound-nin landed as Team 7 was once more complete.

"Still in one piece," Sasuke said.

"What's going on, anyway?" Kiba asked. It was kind of embarrassing to admit that he had nearly fallen asleep from the genjutsu… but fortunately for him, his hand wandered over to a certain part of Sakura's anatomy. The girl did not take this incident and his apologies as any sort of compliment and knocked him upside the head, dispelling the genjutsu and waking him up.

"…I saw Gaara's sensei say something with my Sharingan," Sasuke said. "Something about how 'they'll need Gaara's strength for the next part of the invasion'."

"Invasion… we're being invaded?" Sakura asked.

"Uh… yeah," Kiba said as he sniffed out a Sound kunoichi about to backstab Sakura and knocked her out with a body blow.

"Speak for yourself, you almost fell asleep," Kakashi said.

"What is it with you guys, anyway?" Kiba asked as he and Sasuke kicked the legs out of one Sound nin and threw hooks to send him to dreamland.

"Hmm," Team 7's jonin-sensei said as he took care of a Sound chunin via kunai stab to the leg. "That's not gonna be lethal, except if you don't get it looked at," he told his victim. "Anyway, I got wind of the ANBU reports and they say Gaara has something sealed within him."

"What could that be…?" Sakura mused as she slashed a Sound nin's arm while Kiba kicked him in the face.

"Didn't get that exactly, need-to-kno basis, the usual stuff," Kakashi answered. "Chakra reserves?"

"We're good," Kiba and Sakura answered.

"Fine so far," Sasuke grunted.

"That last set of moves you pulled stretched you out pretty thin. You can sit this one out if you want to," Kakashi replied.

"I said, I'm good," Sasuke answered.

"Good, because I'm giving you three an on-the-fly B-rank mission now: track down those three Suna genin, and see if you can capture them in one piece."

"Use of lethal force?" Kiba asked.

"Only when required," Kakashi answered. "Oh, and you'll have company."

"Which team?"

"Two genin, actually. Uzumaki and Testarossa will meet you right outside the village. Sasuke, you lead."

"What about you, sensei? Will you be okay?" Sakura asked before they left.

"I'll do just fine, team. I have this," Kakashi said, raising his forehead protector to reveal his Sharingan. "Now, get going."

Team 7 rushed off to meet their colleagues while around them, everything went to hell.

* * *

"The Uchiha will lead the pursuit?" a flabbergasted Naruto asked.

"Yes, and we do not have any time left whatsoever to be squabbling about this," Precia answered as she _sliced_ a Sound-nin's arms off. "Alicia's nearly at the meeting point, back her up. You're the brains of this operation. I'll feed you the mission details via Device."

The Leaf jonin loaded a cartridge into her Device, transforming it into two swords. "Get going!" she added as she went into the fray.

* * *

Ayasaki Hayato had been dubbed Otogakure's Unluckiest Genin.

Now, here he was, about to make his very first kill after being relegated to gofer duties back in Sound.

And as he was about to sneak up on a girl seated in a wheelchair, he found out the hard way why the derogatory moniker for him was true, as he felt a slight bump in the side and a prick in the neck before going down in a heap.

"Most of the fighting seems to be done here," Haku said as he surveyed the arena. Most of the civilians were relatively untouched and were beginning to be evacuated by the genin and chunin at the arena – it was fortunate that whoever planned the genjutsu didn't account for Gaara actually dispelling it with a mighty burst of chakra from his getting wounded by Sasuke using the Copy Nin's trademark technique.

"What should we do now, Haku-san?" Hyuuga Hinata asked.

"We stay away from the infirmary," Haku answered. "When it's clear over here, we'll meet up with either Kurenai-san or Precia-san."

"All right," the former Hyuuga heiress answered.

* * *

Meanwhile, just outside the arena, the pursuit was on.

"How far can you smell them, Kiba?" Sasuke asked.

"Just around several clicks away. Expect company in five minutes. Odd. The scent of raccoon keeps getting stronger."

"Worry about it later, we need to overtake them before they make too much distance."

Alicia and Naruto boggled at just how efficient Team 7 had gotten, but kept their reactions to themselves as they received the last of Precia-sensei's instructions regarding their pursuit mission. Pushing further from the tree branches, the five of them continued going after the trio of Suna genin.

* * *

They had met up with Shino and Kurenai-sensei just a few moments after the arena was cleared out.

"Bad news," Shino said. "The kikai bunshin I used to check on the infirmary has been dispelled."

"I knew it," Haku said. "They're really gonna take advantage of this chaos, are they?"

Shino was about to say his assent when they were interrupted by the sight of a Sound-nin flying into the stands. After gauging the source, they found Precia Testarossa holding her greatsword like a baseball bat.

"Kumo's about to make their move, senpai," Kurenai said as they edged towards the purple-haired jonin-sensei.

"I knew it," Precia said as she went towards the group, reverting her Device to Knight Sword mode. "We stay in defensive formation. They won't do a thing at this point unless we give them a reason to."

The other jonin-sensei and three genin nodded.

"Let's go."

Chapter 17 - **END**

**a/n:** Kaburagi Aria is indirectly based off a Street Fighter EX2 character (it's not Kairi).

Alicia's Stone Curse is not the wave Arme uses, it's the shockwave version Gardosen uses in his boss fight.

And I know about the inconsistencies between using the English and Japanese names of villages, just bear with it. You could use a CTRL+H to keep it consistent if you really want to do that.

Once more, please read and review, as the more feedback I get, the faster I finish chapters and the better their quality becomes. (no, Naruto does not look kind of cool, and Sasuke does not see you.)

_character biographies_:

_**Shidou Tatsuya**_

**Rank**: Genin

**Age**: 15

**Affiliation**: Kumogakure

**Elemental Affinities**: Lightning

**Team Role**: Tanking and defense

The big man of Team Yugito, Tatsuya's specialties are a hard-hitting taijutsu and thought-to-be-lost Clan techniques that revolve around using chakra to increase one's musculature, as well as flaring it out in an invisible cloak that renders weaker ninjutsu and taijutsu attacks ineffective.

_**Ayasaki Hayato**_

**Rank**: Genin

**Age**: 15

**Affiliation**: Otogakure

**Elemental Affinities**: Wind

**Team Role**: Has no team, but can cook, clean, do many chores, and deliver messages.

The "unluckiest genin of Oto" lives up to his name, as despite his competence in ninjutsu, genjutsu and taijutsu, his unbelievably bad luck has caused many missions to fail. His reputation has made it so no Oto jonin-sensei in their right mind will keep him on a team, and as such he spends most of his ninja career staying in several bases and doing various mundane chores for the Otokage.


	18. Narrow Escapes and Perilous Chances

_disclaimer_: naruto = kishimoto; nanoha = seven arcs; grand chase = kog; breath of fire = capcom; team 8 the fanfic = viridian; dragon ball z = toriyama _(note: most other spoileriffic disclaimers are at the other end of this fic)_

**Nappa: **Vegeta, what does the scouter say about the number of words in this chapter?  
**Vegeta:** Shush Nappa, this much is just proof that this author shows signs of growth in both quality and quantity.  
**Nappa: **Hey, Vegeta, weren't you going to say "it's over nine thousand"?  
**Vegeta: **Wasn't my delivery enthusiastic enough for you? Fine, even though scouters are expensive these days. **IT'S OVER NINE THOUSAND! **There, happy?  
**Nappa:** Very.

Anyway, this might not be the most brick-excreting action-packed chapter yet, but it tries its best. Yeah, each of these chapters will inevitably get re-tooled as soon as I get a beta that has enough free time to look into these and make corrections and additions the longer the story goes along.

And the "invasion part 2 that happens on chapter 18 and aftermath in chapter 19" is in no way, shape or form meant to copy or pass off part or all of Viridian's wonderful work "Team 8" as my own. It just happens to be a strange coincidence (and stranger coincidences have happened; believe you me).

If you liked it, hated it, or found it meh, please leave a review (and I answer most reviews writing out in detail what they liked/hated/wanted improved in the fic on my forum, and as always, the link is on my profile).

Also, **I NEED HELP WITH MY GERMAN.** Most of Reynard's spells are merely Babelfish translations of Lass' various techniques. If anyone with a good grasp of German can look over and see if it's good enough, I will be eternally grateful.

I've wasted enough of your time with the lame memetic skit and other notes, so without further ado, here's invasion mayhem, part 2:

* * *

_Everything felt like it happened a lifetime ago. What I wanted was acknowledgment. What I received was a family._

_Believe in me._

_Believe that I had once been isolated, like you._

_Believe that because I had found people precious to me, I can, and will do anything to keep them safe._

_Naruto: Arcane Heart will now begin._

* * *

_**Naruto: Arcane Heart**_

**Chapter 18: Narrow Escapes and Perilous Chances **

Describing the Village Hidden in the Leaves at the moment in one word was easy: **chaotic.** However, if asked for specific details, you would either miss most of them because they'd happen under your nose, get nailed by an invading or defending ninja, or things would happen too fast for you to notice.

Fortunately, this wasn't the case for Team 10, or the Ino-Shika-Cho team as they followed their jonin-sensei towards the Ninja Academy, where preliminary ANBU reports had placed a rather large contingent of Sound nin aiming to cut down on the future ninja forces of Konoha significantly.

What the unfortunate troop of Sound didn't count on before they could rush past the barricades towards the shelters was Nara Shikamaru pinning them in place via his shadow-binding ninjutsu briefly for Ino to tangle their legs with wire so they couldn't escape. They started cutting through the wires but stopped to look at an engine-like whoop, only to see a rather heavyset genin transform into a large rolling ball of flesh.

One of the Sound-nin caught the sight of the big-boned Leaf-nin spinning in a perfect- shaped sphere; was reminded of that movie starring the guy with the hat and the whip, and he yelped.

Before Chouji got his momentum going, Shika made a different series of hand signs and had his shadow change into a hand to give the Akimichi an extra push.

Ino let go of the wires mere moments before Chouji crashed into the clump of Sound-nin, with a resounding crash reminiscent of bowling pins echoing throughout the Ninja Academy's auditorium.

The voice of one of the Sound genin echoed throughout the halls.

"Hanzo knocked my nuts in half… oh… ugh…" was all he croaked out before unconsciousness took hold of him.

Chouji dropped the technique, skidded a bit after getting his bearing back and gracefully slid to a halt.

_Asuma-sensei was right all along – it was really awesome for him to get Ino and I along with Shikamaru for his Finals training, _he thought. _That landing was awesome, too._

"I heard the crash," a voice came from just outside.

"Uh, we rolled a strike, Asuma-sensei," Shikamaru said, but before he could continue, a Sound-nin straggler tried to take advantage of the situation and move in, only to stop in his steps as his shadow was caught.

"Didn't think I noticed you?" he asked before Ino and Chouji took the chance to knock the ninja out with a punch each to the jaw and midsection.

"That's a spare in my book," Sarutobi Asuma replied in mild jest at his genin's thorough handling of the situation and the surprise. "All the Academy students are at the shelters, and the instructors plus an extra contingent of genin are looking after them. Good work so far, team."

After they had cleared the auditorium and the rest of the Academy, Team 10 was about to settle into a defensive formation when a sudden tremor caught their attention. When Asuma looked out the window, he saw a crack appear on the Hokage Mountain – right on the carved head of his father, the Third Hokage.

_I hate it when these things happen, it's almost like a given that the old man would…_

…_wait a minute, didn't he…_

He remembered the incident which led him to sever his ties with his more famous father, about those so-called performance enhancers for shinobi, and wondered.

_That was actually the last straw that got me a spot into the Fire Daimyo's guard, right after I broke off with the old man… But does that mean…_

He let go of that line of thought as the reserve Sound genin had been seen, and deciding to skip the usual stealth, decided to attack en masse.

"Well guys, it's time to roll a perfect game on this one," he said, giggling inwardly at the fact that the pun was not lost on his genin, "stack 'em, pack 'em and rack 'em."

Team 10 nodded as they gripped kunai and shuriken tightly: readying themselves for the incoming horde.

* * *

What the Suna and Oto forces did not figure out was that their invasion plans were well-prepared for in advance: it was the exact moment when the invasion would be launched that was the tricky part – but since Gaara railing wildly at the hit to his shoulder made the event proceed ahead of schedule, the forces of Konoha knew just where and how the enemy would strike… most of the time.

Some of the last-minute changes were actually the ones that dealt the most damage, such as a certain unlucky Oto genin's suggestion to run a summoned snake through the Uchiha compound.

He was of course laughed off, but when the scouts had said that most of Konoha's defenses centered on the more populated centers, they immediately got a summoning matrix up and running to get one of those sixty-footers to sow mayhem through the Uchiha district before going right up the defenders' figurative back door.

Said genin was now incapacitated by a glancing Gentle Fist hit to the solar plexus, and a senbon to the side of the neck to finish the job, and he wasn't in any shape to be whining about how some foul-mouthed redhead bodyguard had stolen his idea from him.

And as was the wont of best-laid plans, it quickly fell apart as the sound of wooden buildings crumbling would most likely send a contingent of Konoha-nin, or worse – Konoha ANBU – towards the source.

Such was the unlucky fate of the Sound contingent who had to see their seventy-foot anaconda get sliced up into chicken-flavored chunks before disappearing – but that wasn't the worst thing that had happened.

An ANBU quartet led by one wearing a cat mask dashed in and knocked out most of the Oto nin and killed those who had the audacity to face off against an ANBU or were desperate enough to not want to be caught and tortured and so entertained the possibility of going down swinging.

One of them immediately cursed whoever came up with this ridiculously unlucky idea, and got a falling wooden beam breaking one of his legs for his trouble.

_Who comes up with these crazy plans, anyway? _he asked before blacking out.

The cat-masked ANBU could only shrug as she sheathed her ninjato and surveyed the pile of wreckage that was formerly the Uchiha District.

_That snake did a good job on this building though… hope Hokage-sama and everyone else is doing well…_

* * *

"Standard high-volume ninja cell – 9 of them are for the frontal assault and the 10th one is backup," Naruto whispered as his mind was already thinking of a devious surprise for the Sound-nin intent on hindering or stopping them in their pursuit of the Suna siblings.

He smiled that slasher smile of his again as the specifics of his diabolical plan began falling into place, and he motioned over to his makeshift team with his ideas.

Alicia liked it, because she'd have a chance to use her new-and-improved Kanavan Strike, Sasuke and Kiba liked it because it was violent, and Sakura agreed with the plan because she was tired of people thinking she couldn't be a capable ninja and thus were constantly underestimating her.

They moved on, seemingly unmindful of the group of Sound-nin chasing them until the ten ninja suddenly went into a flanking maneuver, surrounding the Leaf-nin.

"Ha! They're pretty good in straight-up tournament fights, but that don't mean squat in this world, kids!" the Sound-nin had gloated.

"Pretty dumb, too, thinking that close formation will save their dumb asses," he added. "All right, swords out!"

The nine ninja drew ninjato and dashed in, aiming to end this in one slash.

"Sakura Fubuki no Jutsu!" the pink-haired one called, releasing what looked like confetti into the air, only for each of those slips of paper to start exploding when coming into contact with the Sound-nin as they closed the distance.

When most of the small explosions had passed, they descended, only for the Sound-nin to slash at nothing but each other's swords and/or thin air.

Before anyone could figure out what was going on, a yellow and white blur sped downward, stabbing at a point in the ground where a gigantic magic circle suddenly appeared.

Swords made of pure energy materialized from the air within the circle's area, horrifying those caught within it before they descended, stabbing through, disrupting chakra passageways, clogging tenketsu and generally causing a great deal of hurt per sword to each of the hapless Sound-Nin.

As the blonde girl with red eyes began to withdraw the ornate sword from its place in the ground, the enchanted blade spoke the name of its upgraded technique: _**"Kanavan Strike: Pentacle Shift." **_All nine sound-nin caught in the epicenter of that attack simply passed out from the pain.

The last of the Sound-nin group was just about to high-tail it when a tap on the back caused him to wheel around, only to feel two fingers in a very delicate place.

"SENNEN GOROSHI!" Naruto bellowed as he used the technique the Uchiha described to him as the "Konoha Hiden Taijutsu Ougi", which wasn't that far from the truth - it was actually fiendishly clever as a surprise attack. As the victim leaped from the jolt of the sudden intrusion into his rectal cavity, Kiba rushed in with a Tsuuga to knock the last Sound-nin silly.

"I love combination attacks," Naruto said as the unfortunate recipient of that combo attack tore through several branches, only to crash into a tree trunk and slide very slowly to the ground, unconscious.

"Damn, you really are a devious one," Kiba said. "How soon will it be until Snark-suke catches up to those three?"

"Not long," Naruto replied. "We'll need to edge in closer and come up with another plan before we move in and capture them… that is, if Sasuke plays this next hand safe."

"Come on, Alicia, Sakura, let's go!" he called out, and together, the four of them continued on the trail.

* * *

Back in Konoha, Mitarashi Anko was somehow both in hell and in heaven.

She had gotten into a three-way kill-count contest with Kakashi and Gai, with the winner having to force the two losers to do something rather demeaning.

And she was way, **way **ahead on the count.

_No way I'll let these guys win, because at best it'll be a four-page spread for that "Shinobi Monthly Special" magazine, and at worst I'll be forced to wear that damned green jumpsuit!_

She showed off her most terrifying grin as she continued dealing out death and destruction – most of the Sound-nin who had the misfortune of running into her were either dead, knocked out from pain, or wounded and could not be ninja anymore.

So focused she was on getting ahead and staying ahead that she never really figured out what she'd do with Kakashi and Guy. _Maybe pose for a Kunoichipolitan photo shoot._

* * *

"Gamakenbu, now!" shouted the Toad Sage, and Gamakenbu the Toad Swordsman took out three Suna chunin with a slash, and another with a tongue lash that felt like a right cross.

Sadly, that was the last he could do before the large toad ran out of chakra due to his injuries and shouted a hasty "Sorry, sir!" before disappearing with a poof of smoke back into the summoned plane.

Sadly, Gamakenbu was only able to take out less than half of the squadron assigned to take out the bath houses: thus was the Toad Sage surrounded by enemies.

"First one in GETS THE BOUNTY!" yelled one Suna-nin, weapons at the ready.

"Tsk tsk," Jiraiya replied. "Don't you know that saying about not counting your chickens?"

He spun a ball of concentrated chakra into a hand.

"Not a single one of you schmucks know? Oh well, your loss."

They were momentarily stalled by one of their number spinning in odd directions as he crashed into a wall, and were even more shocked to see the Toad Sannin take the fight to them.

Sooner or later there was only the Toad Sage left standing, surrounded by many, many broken bodies around him.

"This is why I never advise invasions," he muttered. "All clear," he said as he signaled to the other jonins that this section of town was cleared of all hostile elements.

If those Sand and Sound-nin had broken even one cheap vase in the Konoha bath houses, there would be hell to pay from the Toad Sage.

* * *

By now, Kurenai had taken the genin to a safer location.

It was now her turn to fulfill her end of the bargain – do whatever it takes to ensure that the Kumo contingent does not get their grubby hands on Hyuuga Hinata.

Precia Testarossa was now facing off against the jonin-sensei from Cloud – Yugito Nii – who had likewise instructed her genin to take up defensive positions at the arena infirmary, as both Tatsuya and Shinta weren't at a hundred per cent.

"What I'm wondering about this is," she began, "if your plan was to actually physically abduct the girl, why go through all the trouble to visit her and say you wanted her there of her own accord?"

"That was me, not Kumo speaking," Yugito replied as she drew a pair of kunai, eyeing the strange sword her opponent was holding in a kenjutsu stance she hadn't seen before.

_This isn't good. They got on our tail as soon as I gave the girl that offer. Damn it, and I was serious enough to actually look after her as my own if she accepted._

_No matter, that line of thinking is best left for dreamers, _she thought.

They stood in the vacated arena, which carried little noise except the howl of the wind and the occasional groan of a knocked-out Sound or Sand shinobi.

_**Shouldn't we try to keep her talking? I mean, it's not like we know exactly who we're dealing with here, her Bingo Book entry is basically "kill/flee on sight" with no other details, eh, Yugito-chan?**_

_We lost our chance for diplomacy when Hinata turned down our offer._

_Wait, she didn't actually turn down the offer._

_If that's the case, then how did…_

_**Sorry, Yugito.**_

_Eh, it's my fault. I got dependent on you, Nibi-chan._

_**I don't feel like helping you now. I like this lady. She's nice and sophisticated.**_

_You're not going to lend me your power?_

_**She doesn't seem like the type to use lethal force, meow.**_

_Fine, I'll see if I can save both our faces._

_**You're the best partner I ever had, meow!**_

"This really isn't necessary, you know," Yugito said.

"I know that. I just don't want to take any chances. A lot of my fellow nin did recently, and look at where it got them."

"Why not go to Kumo with me?"

"The Uzumaki child is also my son, in a way."

"Oh. That explains it," Yugito answered, feeling as though a trap door had opened in her chest and her heart had fallen through it.

_I'm going for it, Nibi-chan._

_**Yugito-chan, what's wrong… why are you so angry and hurt?**_

_You wouldn't understand, Nibi-chan… it's just one of those things we can't see eye to eye on…_

_**Meow… don't fight like that, Yugito-chan…**_

_I want her to feel what I'm feeling now, Nibi-chan. I'm going for it._

_**Meow... I've got your back, then, Yugito-chan...**  
_

Yugito charged in, throwing a brace of kunai before readying her hands in seal formation. "Raiton: Kairyushin no Jutsu!" she shouted as she released a pair of kusari-gama, crackling with lightning chakra.

She moved in and struck at her opponent with blinding speed, only to be dumbfounded as each of her strikes were met by the edge of her opponent's sword.

_She's fast, but I must be faster!_

The yellow tint of the chains gradually grew bluer and bluer as Yugito's swings grew faster and faster as the pair of jonin battled it out in the arena floor.

Precia was still in decent shape, but a few glancing hits had left a lingering numbness, slowing her reaction time somewhat.

_I'll tide the numbness out and then I'll use Sonic Form. Hrist, get ready._

_**It will be done, Master.**_

The chakra had completely shifted to blue, and the chain had been moving in a veritable blur. Yugito followed up a nicely-timed feint and smiled as she finally got hit her opponent square on the face…

…but it was shortlived as the "Precia" she saw dissolved into a crack of electricity.

"Raiton Kage Bunshin!" Yugito remarked.

"You got that right," Precia said as she charged from a completely different direction, sword at the ready.

Now it was Yugito's turn to be on the defensive, as the stabs forced her to double up on the dodging and blocking as one thrust was potentially lethal – there was the possibility that this was some sort of chakra blade, judging by the purple aura she saw at the business ends of the sword.

And then the unthinkable happened – Precia reared her sword arm back, only to thrust it in a spinning motion, forcing some of the blue lightning chakra to get wound up along with it as she stepped into the thrust.

And then she gave the order for the gathered-up chakra to flare out… and explode.

_**"Magnum Break."**_

* * *

Sasuke had caught up with the Suna genin, but Kankuro, anxious for some payback on the upstart Uchiha had decided to take on him to buy them some distance, but that wouldn't work out that well, as within moments, the rest of the makeshift team arrived, with Kiba and Naruto now replacing the raven-haired Leaf-nin on the fight card.

_Some days you feed on a tree frog, indeed,_ he thought as he got his combat puppet Karasu ready to rumble. _Should've known this would happen after I picked up that wallet back in Suna._

Shrugging, he started working the chakra strings as Karasu charged, and the marionette-wielder moved into the bushes.

* * *

Sabaku no Temari had never been so irritated for a month – first it was going even with that Aburame person (and the thought of having a minute-sized bug crawl up a space she oh-so vigilantly kept private horrified her to no end), having to deal with a scout from Kumo who had stumbled on their little midnight pow-wow and had to be silenced, and now…

…She was holding her brother and running away from a superbly-skilled genin who managed to spike a chakra-laced hand right through her little brother's shoulder.

As if things couldn't get any worse, this was the worst day of the month for her to stay close to Gaara, as the redhead literally flipped out at the sight and (less often) the smell of blood.

She was trained to ignore the usual aches and pains that came around today, but all of this would be for naught if she only had the luck to have a bodily function timed right!

_Oh, of all the donkey-forsaken times this has to happen! Urgh! This is frustrating! So troublesome!_

And now, more troublesome things lay ahead as the Uchiha managed to cut off their escape route, dodging from a wind blast from her fan.

"You'd best give up and stop what you're trying to pull… otherwise we might have to bring you in not as VIPs, but as prisoners straight to ANBU interrogation…" Sasuke said.

"Dream on, duck-head!" Temari said, punctuating that barb with a swing of her fan.

_Does my hair look like a duck? Okay, that was a low blow. _"You're not helping things here," Sasuke replied, dodging the wind blast.

"Yeah, and am I supposed to take your word for… Gaara?"

"Get… away…" he muttered. "It's coming…"

"What's coming?"

**"****GET AWAY!"** the redhead shouted, shoving Temari away as sand began to flow from the gourd and around Gaara's left shoulder (the one Sasuke put a Chidori Senkou-laced hand through), forming the shape of a grossly misshapen claw.

"That's one… ugly… motherf–" but before Sasuke could finish, a straight from the sand arm sent him flying.

_Cool trick,_ he thought as he steadied himself before trying to land on a tree branch…

…only to immediately make another quick leap to safety as the redhead quickly crushed the branch he was standing on with a swipe of a claw. And now, Sabaku no Gaara (or something that looked like Sabaku no Gaara) started to chase him with a speed approaching his.

_How'd this guy get so fast, anyhow? Can't make enough distance for a second Chidori Senkou, and my Sharingan can't track most of his movements!_

Uchiha Sasuke was too busy evading a messy death and dismemberment via sand claw that he didn't see the blonde kunoichi that was Sabaku no Temari taking cover and cowering under the trees while looking up at her little brother with a look of abject panic on her face.

* * *

There was a strange purple periphery field relatively close by… but Precia Testarossa had to ignore it completely.

All there was now was this fight, and winning it – even if she did catch a glimpse of Hokage-sama and what looked like the Kazekage going into the rooftops before the periphery went up.

After countering a "Raiton: Raioh Tama" with a Goukakyu no Jutsu of her own, she used the impact to move a bit to the side and finally release the power that had the five Elemental Countries dubbing her as the "Thunder Goddess".

Yugito heard a mechanical female voice in the distance. _Another one enters this fight? But I don't sense anyone._

**"**_**Neutron Lancer."**_

Several purple kunai whizzed towards her, and all she could do was move sideways to evade them completely.

**"**_**Full autofire."**_

The first wave consisted of four or five of those purple kunai (energy blasts, Nibi told her). With every wave, more and more purple bolts of energy came shooting at her – she tried blocking one, but the bolt detonated on impact, sending a jolt of lightning chakra and something else that sent her chakra coils going haywire.

"Argh!" _And that was just a glancing hit – if I got nailed full on with one, this could be over! Come on, Nibi-chan, help me out!_

_**I'll do what it takes to keep you alive, not help you kill that woman.**_

_We don't have a choice!_

_**It just appears that way, Yugito-chan.**_

_Damn it!_

Another flurry of bolts, and Yugito was on the move, hand seals moving for high-level ninjutsu she was essentially forced to use… but before she could do, she felt something tear through her.

**"**_**Cross Edge."**_

If the glancing hit had smarted, the strange sword passing through her (but not doing any actual physical damage) was excruciating, and it took Yugito a near-superhuman effort not to black out from the feeling.

_**Looks like I have to save your sorry hide, Yugito-chan.**_

_Ouch. Looks like it._

_**Just don't overdo it. Remember, I do **_**NOT**_** want this Leaf-nin dead.**_

_Fine, fine, whatever you say…_

Precia felt a massive surge of chakra, a bluish aura flaring out signaling Yugito's merging with her Tailed Beast.

"You're not the only one with secrets, Precia-san," Yugito growled as she began gathering chakra in a hand.

"And I wasn't even playing seriously. Hrist, upgrade to Valkyrie Mode."

**"**_**It will be done, master. Valkyrie Mode."**_

The sword began pulsing energy as a strange new module materialized within the sword's framework – it looked like a slot for placing something inside it.

**"**_**Cartridge Load. Barrier Jacket – Karapis Mode."**_

More strange energy began flaring from where Precia stood after she had loaded what had looked like some sort of small canister within the sword's slot, and her ninja outfit had changed after a brief flash of light erupted from around her.

"Let's make this quick."

"I agree."

The two kunoichi clashed, blowing most of the debris around the arena (and most of the unconscious Sound genin) away…

* * *

The four genin had just regrouped after Naruto and Kiba finally took all of ten minutes to knock the puppet-wielder out – it required several Kage Bunshin, Kiba being a pervert, and taking advantage of the fact that the blonde noticed Kankuro following Alicia around with his eyes during the preliminaries.

He recognized the inane glow of the eyes a fanboy or fangirl made – he practically went through the Academy dealing with them.

It was now that he had finally used this knowledge of fangirls and fanboys in a real ninja mission – to resounding success as Kankuro was tied up to a tree, passed out, blood still leaking a bit from his nose from Naruto's upgraded jutsu.

He just hoped for two things: Alicia wouldn't see it, and Kiba wouldn't talk about it.

There remained the matter of his Device, which would probably talk to Alicia's Device, and…

…before he could think of the consequences, a black-blue blur sped past them and crashed into a nearby tree's trunk.

"SASUKE!" all four genin shouted, and as they looked back to what had launched him there, they stared into the face of evil itself.

"Yes… YES!" Gaara – who by now had his face, upper body, and left arm covered with sand in a rather monstrous shape – bellowed. "The fear in your faces… IT FEEDS ME!"

"Mr. Uzu…maki…" the injured Sasuke coughed out.

"Get to some cover!" Alicia shouted, firing off several Ragna Bolts as this person-cum-thing opened its sandy mouth and countered Alicia's attack by firing his own blast of air at them. Fortunately, the blasts cancelled each other out, no one was hit, and Naruto managed to carry Sasuke out and into some bushes.

"You okay, Mr. Uchiha?" Naruto asked.

"He's a monster…" Sasuke answered weakly. "You'll need more than those weapons you and Alicia have to take him down…"

"I'm not out of tricks, Mr. Uchiha. I **never** run out of tricks," Naruto replied, looking over his fellow genin and doing his best not to wince at all his injuries. "Darn, you're busted up pretty bad. Aren't there any medic-nins here?"

"I know some medical techniques," Sakura said.

"Good, then look after Mr. Uchiha. Kiba, cover them."

"Who died and made you team leader?" Kiba asked before grinning. "Just kidding, I'll do my best."

"There's still the kunoichi to worry about…" Alicia added.

"Not… not a threat…" Sasuke said. "Three clicks… there… hasn't moved. Probably… scared… of that thing."

"Shut the hell up and lie the hell down while I piece you back together!" Sakura said.

"What about you two, what are you gonna do?" Kiba asked as Naruto and Alicia were about to leave cover.

"We'll stop him."

"Heh," Kiba said. "You guys were always the ambitious ones. Good luck – you'll need it."

The two blondes nodded, readying their Devices as they leaped from cover, aiming to stop the Suna-nin – or whatever that Suna-nin was turning into – from rampaging further.

* * *

"Three-hundred and sixty two nin down~" sang Mitarashi Anko as she sent another Sand nin flying into the walls with a flying kick. Those weeks under the tutelage of the Snake Sage (who had still to give her name) had been nothing short of eye-opening – her overhauling of Anko's Snake Style had shown, and she was now shredding through Suna genin and chuunin like no one's business.

All across Konoha, the same scene played out – the Sand and Sound forces had the advantage of numbers, but their movements were plotted easily and the summons Sound launched were easily dispelled by small cells of ANBU operatives, the summoners taken out just the same.

A cadre of Sound genin managed to go as far as to wound one of the ANBU through sheer suicidal luck, but the troop was sadly taken out of the picture by trees suddenly sprouting out of nowhere, entangling them in their branches and cutting off their chakra supply.

Meanwhile, another group of Sand nin were held in place by their shadows as a gigantic foot kicked them into the forests just outside the city, while nearby a group of Sound-nin had their hands on their heads like rabbit ears and were moving their hips left and right to a rather powerful genjutsu.

The passing Konoha genin could only marvel at Yamanaka Inoichi's mind control skills, and thus continued on their task in flushing out the invaders. (The sight of the Sound-nin doing that dance was more than a little disturbing for some, which led a few invaders to surrender just by seeing it.)

Hatake Kakashi had shown just why he was an ex-ANBU captain, cutting down another cell of enemy nin just as he saw Guy launch a foe into the air with a Dragon Kick.

"…and that's three hundred."

"I SHALL AIM TO EXCEED YOU AND MITARASHI-SAN'S KILL COUNT AND HAVE YOU BOTH WEARING THE PROUD UNIFORM I SPORT, ESTEEMED RIVAL!" bellowed a familiar voice in the distance, and Kakashi just sighed, turning onto the next batch of invaders.

Some Sand-nin allowed the thought of "MORE SPANDEX-WEARING MADMEN IN THIS VILLAGE?" to enter their mind, promptly breaking ranks and running for it, faces turning a similar shade of green as the Sublime Green Beast of Konoha's favorite jump suit.

And elsewhere in Konoha, while the invasion forces had numbers on their side, they found out just how well-trained Leaf-nin could be.

"WHY THE HELL CAN'T WE HIT HIM! HE'S JUST ANOTHER KONOHA-NIN, FOR GOD'S SAKE!" bellowed a Sand-nin as his compatriots flung wind jutsu, kunai, and shuriken at a certain fast-moving Konoha jonin while his teammates picked off the attackers.

"Impossible! No one has that precise chakra control to –" the leader said just before a spinning heel crashed into his face, sending him flying.

"THAT'S where Might Guy got the Konoha Senpuu from," Kururugi Seiryuu finally said as his target crashed into a nearby wall. "We're clear in this sector. Musashi, you got 'em?"

"Got 'em," Ranmaru Musashi replied, getting out his portable communicator. "This is Mountain Wind and Blue Dragon. Civilian Sector D-3 cleared of hostiles."

Seiryuu went over to his comrade. "I hear sounds of fighting over there."

"Then that means we have to look where the sounds are least. Infiltrators are always a problem."

"Fine."

"Anyway, for all this time, I never knew how you got that spin kick of yours to work, Kururugi."

"Let's just call it necessity being the mother of invention."

"Chakra flare at our nine!"

They dashed in towards the source and readied themselves for more combat.

And elsewhere, Yuuhi Kurenai and three other genin were locked in a defensive formation, taking out invaders who'd be unlucky enough to stumble on them.

They felt the strange pulse of energy from the arena, and wondered if Precia-san was doing fine, and if she'd continue doing so…

* * *

Back at the arena, the two jonin kunoichi battled it out, but with no clear winner as Precia's strange techniques and Yugito's bijuu-enhanced ninjutsu cancelled each other out.

After another exchange of Positron Lancer and Imari, Precia finally decided to put it all on the line – if she let this woman leave with her wits intact, Hinata would always be in danger. At least with this victory, she could buy the Hyuuga girl a little more time to get stronger.

**"**_**Master, I strongly suggest you stay with your current form."**_

"Thanks for your concern Hrist, but this isn't just about me anymore."

**"**_**You're welcome, master."**_

"You constantly surprise me," Yugito said, slowly circling her opponent. _It's been awhile since I've had to go this far… _"Is this where you Leaf-nin get your strength?"

"There are people precious to me who I must protect," Precia replied with a sad smile as she readied her sword into yet another stance, "even you."

"Kumo wouldn't let that way of thinking live for long within it…" Yugito replied.

"And that's exactly why you're going down. Hrist, Sonic Form."

**"**_**Sonic Form,"**_ her Device acknowledged, and with another flash, the scarf/cape around Precia had vanished, leaving her with just her altered-color jonin costume.

Yugito's eyes widened.

_**She's put nearly everything into speed and power, ignoring any defense.**_

_What?_

_**One good hit from you and she goes down hard, meow.**_

_That's insane! Why, I never…_

"This doesn't have to happen!" Yugito called out. "You just let us have the Byakugan and we'll leave you alone!"

"That may be true, but it's a foot in the door for your Raikage," Precia answered, closing her eyes as she began thinking up a battle plan. "You know it as well as I do."

"Still… you've ditched nearly all your armor; even a glancing hit may be lethal! Are you insane?"

"This is so I," Precia replied, opening her eyes as she came to a decision, "can defeat you."

"This won't end even I'm defeated," Yugito said, her voice beginning to crack.

"That may be… but Hrist and I… we'll be waiting."

The jonin-sensei from Cloud closed her eyes briefly – but when she had opened them again, she felt something wet streak down a cheek. "I wish this didn't have to happen… you're the first friend I've had in a long while…"

"There's still a way for that. There always is…"

Yugito sighed. "Stop…"

Both kunoichi flashed into battle again, as precious feelings were laid bare, increasing the tension and pressure of the match that would decide the future of one Hyuuga Hinata…

* * *

"_**Spritzenauswirkung."**_

Uzumaki Naruto used the business end of the chain wrapped around his off hand to latch onto a sturdy branch, swinging to get out of the way of a rather vicious tail swipe from a rumbling juggernaut of sand that was Gaara.

It also seemed that the sand-monster seemed to be growing larger with every second.

What was even worse, was that right before they had changed their Devices' forms, the monster Gaara started shooting out gouts of sand all around him, trying to hit his enemies blindly.

The awful truth didn't register until that monstrous laugh came out and a taunting "SUCCESS…" came rumbling out of the redhead's mouth.

And then the three screams came.

Naruto shuddered and Alicia gasped at the sound they heard.

_It's Team 7, _Naruto and Alicia thought in a panic before finally deciding to take things to the next level, Naruto upgrading Reynard to Scimitarform and Alicia doing likewise, raising Siegfried to its Glaive Form.

After a futile attempt at prying the sand off with a healing spell, Alicia went back into the fray and saw Naruto slicing off a limb made of sand… only to see it regenerate almost instantly.

The younger Testarossa immediately loaded a cartridge and aimed her hybrid binding and attack spell on the sand monster.

"_**Spell of Ruin!" **_came Siegfried's acknowledgment of a successful spell cast, and a sphere of lightning-element chakra laced with Alicia's mana materialized around the Suna-nin, pinning him momentarily.

Naruto used that moment to load the last of his cartridges and yell out his and Reynard's strongest attack in their arsenal so far: "Reynard, go! Deadly Sharp!"

**_"Tödlicher Stoss!"_** Reynard acknowledged as Naruto thrust his scimitar forward. He felt a pull from within, and saw that a silhouette of himself with his arm still outstretched launched towards the enemy. The sand monster tried to react, but Alicia's spell bound him in place, leaving him wide open for the attack.

The monster screamed in anguish as most of its sandy body was blasted away by the shadow's impact, and finally, Gaara lay still on the branch he had stood on.

"Whew, at least that's over with," Naruto muttered, but he had forgotten an unspoken ninja law: when things seem better, that's when they actually get worse.

Another massive roar had thrown both Device users off their respective branches as Gaara stood up, once more.

"THIS PARTY'S NOT OVER YET… KIDS…" a disjointed voice came as the sand around Gaara beginning to grow back even quicker than before.

The monster was growing even larger, even faster.

"What happened?" Alicia asked.

"Whatever's going on, we have to take him out as soon as possible!"

Naruto and Alicia had to haul ass out of there, lest they get consumed by the sand.

_Consumed?_ Naruto thought.

_Kiba, Mr. Uchiha and Sakura-chan?_

**"DAMN IT!" **Naruto yelled and dashed forward, surprising Alicia. Making several feints to confuse the morphing Gaara, he put all the chakra he could spare onto his legs, closed the distance between him and the Sand-nin in barely an instant, and planted both his feet onto his opponent's chest.

"Naruto Missile Kick!" he yelled, forcing all the chakra from the soles of his feet out as he pushed off with his legs.

While it didn't actually damage the sand monster, it did what it was supposed to do – send it flying several feet back.

Several hundred, if Naruto's estimate was correct.

However, mere moments after he landed that picture-perfect dropkick, another more powerful roar could be heard in the distance… and Naruto and Alicia saw something out of the worst of nightmares appear.

A gigantic tanuki made of sand stood up and saw them not that far away.

"NICE KICK, KID…" the monster bellowed. "BUT YOU'RE NOT THE ONE WHO'S GOING TO RUIN MY FUN TODAY! SUNA SHURIKEN!"

Another blast of chakra-laced wind and sand came barreling down towards the two genin, resulting in a massive explosion…

* * *

The roars of the awakened giant tanuki had roused Kankuro from his blissful slumber revolving around cute blond girls, a shower, and lots of…

…_wait, I'm supposed to keep them off Gaara, right? Then what's that noise?_

Another roar, and Kankuro's eyes went wide.

_Shukaku's awake!_

He hurriedly extricated himself from the wire that had been binding him with a pair of concealed kunai and took off towards the source of the sound. _That's not the way to the village. What's been going on?_

Meanwhile, at a different spot in the forest, Uchiha Sasuke's brief life began to flash before his eyes.

His father… his mother…

_So this is death?_

…_and even in death, my parents refuse to guide me to the light._

…_How tragic indeed._

_The last of the Uchiha, crushed to death by packed sand, together with his hapless teammates._

_What a way to go._

_Is that water dripping?_

_I hear drops of water… but it isn't raining._

_**Foolish little brother… foolish then, and foolish now.**_

_ITACHI!_

_**What now? Your dreams are about to be extinguished by a deranged little boy.**_

_You're wrong… about me, about all this…_

_**I might be wrong about you, but you will still die here. So die quietly and leave your dreams to the wind.**  
_

_I want to live…_

_I need to live…_

_I __**have**__ to live…_

_Live…_

_Live…_

_Live…_

_Live…!_

**_I can see the falling drop of water!_**

Black flames began flaring around the last Uchiha, incinerating the sand that had pinned him to the tree trunk, and he slid down the tree trunk easily.

_Black… flames? How…? Why…?_

The question remained in his mind until unconsciousness finally took him…

* * *

…and out of the smoke of a rather impressive explosion, three forms appeared.

"You're the dragon I summoned?"

"Why yes, I am. You seem young to be able to summon someone of my talent."

"Can we skip the discussion now? There's a monster on the loose and we have to put a stop to it."

"Very well," the dragon said – if you could call him that, as Alicia had summoned a young man with long purple hair, wearing something that looked like traditional Hyuuga robes. "Someone that large… I guess I'll have to transform to Tiamat or something," he muttered.

Not wanting to be undone, Naruto grit his teeth and began the hand seals for the Kuchiyose no Jutsu…

"…wait," the young man said to Naruto. "Allow me to access first."

"What do we do?" Naruto and Alicia asked.

"Jump…" said the young man, "…as high as you can."

Looking down after they had jumped, a dark flash of energy began swirling around the young man, erupting around him in a crackling black sphere. As it subsided, Naruto and Alicia ended up on top of the head of a creature they had never seen before.

"Start the summoning now, kid," the dragon told Naruto. "I won't be able to hold him off, this form only has around five minutes to last before I dispel."

"All right," Naruto said as his hands began flowing into the seals.

"Hold onto him!" said the dragon to Alicia as it took to the sky.

"Wait… who are you?" Alicia asked as she grabbed hold of one giant horn with one arm and Naruto's collar with the other hand.

"Call me Teepo. Toss the boy, now!"

As Alicia let Naruto into free-fall, he bellowed out the Kuchiyose no Jutsu, and made a ten-point landing right on top of Gamabunta's head.

"Hello, sir," Naruto told the Toad Boss.

"So I hear from Gamakenbu that Konoha's in trouble," rumbled the Toad Boss. "And here you are now, looking a bit worse for wear and… is that Shukaku on a rampage?"

"Yeah, boss."

"You do realize you're gonna owe me a termite mound or three, some chips, a bottle of warm sake and an afternoon of 'The Godfather' and 'The Godfather, Part II' after this, right kid?"

Naruto nodded excitedly. "Of course, boss!"

"All right. Let's go!" yelled Gamabunta as he and his summoner leaped into the fray.

* * *

"This form is not meant for dodging," Teepo said as another Sand Missile whizzed past them in a near miss.

"How do we stop them, Teepo-san?" Alicia had asked, channeling most of her chakra to the dragon for him to keep his transformation on longer and fare better against the Sand Missiles Shukaku was firing at them.

"Easy!" another voice came in, as gigantic blast of water bullet came rushing at the giant sand tanuki. "You wake the jinchuuriki up!"

"Kid's using Tanuki Neiri?" Teepo asked as another Sand Missile whizzed past his head.

It was at that point that another voice decided to join in the conversation.

"You want to… **what?**" Gamabunta yelled as he cancelled out one Sand Missile with his own Water Missile.

"Someone like Shukaku will not simply bend on mere words," Teepo said as he breathed a stream of energy from his mouth towards the gigantic sand creature.

"I'm not sure this will work," Gamabunta said, slicing into the creature's midsection with his knife before leaping away.

"Well, since we dragons are peaceful creatures, I am more inclined to agree with a solution that would end with less hostility," Teepo answered as he weaved through another barrage of Sand Missiles.

"Fine, just make sure you know what you're gonna do and say, and say it fast, 'cause I'll have to dispel after a few minutes transformed," Gamabunta said as it set down on a clearing and began making hand signs. "Cover me, Teepo!"

"Loud and clear, 'Bunta," Teepo replied as it slapped Shukaku's face with its tail before whizzing towards safety.

"PARTY POOPERS!" Shukaku yelled as he fired a volley of Sand Missiles at the dragon.

"Man, you really are grouchy when you wake up!" Teepo shouted back.

"And a notoriously bad shot, too!" he added as another volley of Sand Missiles missed their target, hitting the mountains in the distance.

"WHY DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO SHOW UP WHEN IT'S MY TIME TO PARTY, DAMN IT?" Shukaku asked. "IT'S MY TIME TO PARTY! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!"

**"****That's enough, Shukaku…"** a chilling voice echoed across the clearing, causing Shukaku to actually wheel his head around.

* * *

The conflict was all but over, as Precia began to feel the strain of both chakra exhaustion – and using the CVK-792 Cartridge System – on her physique.

The Kumo jinchuuriki wasn't faring so well, either.

_**This is just about my limit for bonding with you. I can give you enough for one last Imari, but that's it!**_

_Fine, Nibi-chan, I'll end it with this one shot. Thanks for the help, by the way._

_**No problem, Yu-chan, meow~**_

The blonde began winding another ball of dark blue chakra in her hand.

"I'm almost at my limit…" Yugito whispered to no one in particular.

"I don't know if I'll last another minute," Precia replied.

"Then…"

"Then…"

"We shall decide this battle with one pass!" both kunoichi yelled.

"I would have it no other way!" Precia added.

"Me, neither!" Yugito answered.

Precia hefted Hrist – in Zanber Form – as she went into her combat stance.

Yugito tensed as the ball of dark-blue chakra hit its limits.

"Feel the power from those Hrist and I wish to protect! Yugito Nii!"

"Precia Testarossa! You will be the one to fall before the powers of Nibi-chan and I!"

Both yelled out battle cries as their final attacks clashed in an impressive display of power and chakra fireworks, and then everything flared out to white…

* * *

"THAT VOICE… COULD IT BE?" Shukaku said as it turned around, and sure enough, standing close by was the Nine-Tailed Fox – Kyuubi.

**"****What? You look like you've seen a ghost."**

"B-BUT I HEARD THE STORIES! THE EYE… THE CURSED EYE HAD TURNED YOU MAD!"

**"****Indeed it did. And then, I got better."**

"YOU DID?"

**"****Of course. Look, I'll tell you something. You stop this rampage and ease up on chewing on that kid's soul…"**

"…IN EXCHANGE FOR WHAT?"

**"**…**the one who I am sealed in knows a master who can stop you from that disgusting habit. No more dream disguises, no more having to sneak me-time from that boy. You'll end up working with him."**

"BUT, BUT I DON'T WANT TO…" Shukaku started, but he was interrupted by a giant paw slapping his face.

**"****Focus, Shukaku."**

"BUT REALLY, THINGS ARE FINE WHERE THEY–"

**"****Stop acting like a child for once and LISTEN TO ME!"** Kyuubi roared. **"I've got a bad feeling about the near future, so please try not to think of yourself only all the time, okay?"**

"UH… UH… UH… OKAY, ANIKI," responded Shukaku, cowed by the outburst of the Nine-Tails.

The Kyuubi smiled a foxy smile at the giant tanuki. **"Yes, it's been so long since you called me Aniki, hasn't it…? Don't feel so down, though… I want to stay and chat, I really do… but I'm really sorry, because our little reunion is almost ended."**

"ANIKI… WHERE ARE YOU GOING?"

**"****This transformation won't hold… I can feel it beginning to dispel…"**

"MY HOST WANTS TO KNOW… WHO IS THE ONE THAT SEALS YOU?"

**"****Uzumaki Naruto,"** answered the fox, winking at the tanuki, and Shukaku only realized now that the red fur on the fox was marked by orange highlights, and the red eyes from way before were colored violet now.

"OKAY, ANIKI… I'LL WAKE THE BOY UP NOW… BUT DON'T FORGET YOUR PROMISE, OKAY?"

**"****Don't I always, dog-breath?"**

* * *

The dragon – now back in his human guise – and his summoner watched the situation play out some distance away.

"Thus you see, hostilities are commonly used only as a last resort among our kind. We may be powerful, but with this power comes the knowledge that we can shake the very foundations of the world even on a whim. The duty such power brings is great, Alicia," Teepo said. "Though I can't help but wonder what would have happened if this had been a drag-out slobberknocker…"

Alicia chuckled. "Teepo-san, look… the sand tanuki is dissolving…"

"Yes, because as one of our kind said before, 'the only time you must show a knife is when you must kill, as it ends all negotiations'." Teepo continued. "Griol-sama was truly wise in choosing you as a summoner."

He felt a flash pass through him. "My time on this plane is nearly up. Call on me when you need the help of our Brood."

"Before you go..." Alicia began, "could I ask you a question?"

Upon his nod, Alicia continued. "Are you the strongest one of your Clan, Teepo-san?"

"Me? The strongest?" Teepo answered, laughing a bit. "I am actually one of the weakest, and one of the last to be given his Brood powers back. But that's another story for another time, Alicia-san, maybe over some tea."

"All right, Teepo-san. Thank you," Alicia said, bowing at the dragon.

"Likewise, and may Ladon watch over you," the dragon replied before dispelling.

* * *

"My arm…" Gaara said. "It still hurts."

"Relax, Gaara, and let me help," Haruno Sakura said as she applied an antiseptic medical jutsu to Gaara's shoulder wound while Naruto readied the bandages.

It was an interesting afternoon that had passed in the forests outside Konoha in the aftermath of Shukaku's aborted rampage, as Temari and Kankuro had gone to their brother's aid only to see him in the care of several Leaf-nin.

Kiba and Naruto were openly weeping manly tears at the redhead's sad story while Sasuke was still rather out of it – chakra exhaustion on top of all his other injuries, Sakura had said. Alicia was also near tears at the story while helping Gaara piece his broken gourd back together. When the sand binding Kiba and Sakura dissolved, they immediately went to their teammates as soon as they could, Naruto explained the whole situation, and got the reticent Gaara to tell his life's story and explain why he just wanted to stomp on everything.

"Y-you acknowledge my existence?" he asked after he finished talking.

"Of course! All you had to do was ask," Naruto said. "You don't need to go off trying to do harm to others trying to do it."

"And if you really want your existence to be truly acknowledged… do it by using your power to fight for those precious to you."

"Just who is precious to me, anyway…?" Gaara asked.

"You'll figure it out as you go along," Naruto said, sparing glances at Kankuro and Temari. After that interesting proposition the fox had made to try and actually talk Shukaku into dispelling himself had worked, the sand tanuki had actually gone and told Gaara all of it. "If you find it hard, and when you can't believe in yourself…"

Kiba, Alicia and Naruto continued in one voice: "Believe in me, who believes in you!"

Gaara cracked a rare honest smile, leaving his siblings completely dumbfounded. _These are Leaf genin? That show was aired several years ago!_ they thought.

"All right," he answered. "I'll try that."

_I forgot, Gaara also liked that show._

"That's as good a start as any," Naruto said. "We should go back to Konoha and get that seal of yours looked at. Insomnia's no laughing matter, you might wind up staying up all night and learning how to make soap."

"Why, you know how to?" Gaara asked as he tilted his head to the side a bit, and everyone laughed.

On the way back, the vessel of Shukaku the Sand Tanuki looked at his siblings and whispered a word to both of them: "sorry".

His siblings could only reply with two words: "we know."

Thus the motley crew of Sand and Leaf-nin slowly made their way back to Konoha, a simple act of kindness setting forth events neither of them knew were possible…

Chapter 18 - **END**

**a/n:** Before I get torn limb from limb, yes, the idea for Gaara to dispel the arena genjutsu with a chakra pulse was gleaned off Viridian's **excellent** Naruto fic "Team 8". I hope giving it to a different person and having its dispelling effect occur accidentally instead of deliberately won't set the angry mob after my hide.

I hope. *ducks for cover*

(…and no, Gaara doesn't whine about blood after Sasuke nailed him because the Chidori Senkou cauterized a clean hole through.)

The decision not to write down the details of the Third Hokage vs. Orochimaru fight is a plot-relevant choice, and Asuma's thoughts in this chapter should give you a pretty good idea why.

The scene with "The dude with the hat and the whip" refers to Raiders of the Lost Ark, featuring Chouji as the boulder.

The quote about "knocked my nuts in half" is from Jackass: The Movie, the scene in the (wait for it) bowling alley, where Johnny Knoxville tags Ryan Dunn in the jewels with a bowling ball.

The scene with Precia using Sonic Form for the first time in Konoha mirrors the Fate vs. Signum scene in A's. Think of it as a "generation Xerox". The tail end of the fight is also a paraphrased version of a scene from "Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation 2" (more specifically, a fan translation by Ms. Christina Rose).

Also, you probably know where the line about "staying up all night and making soap" comes from.

By the way, action scenes tend to have less views and less reviews than fluff chapters. *s_cratches head* _I wonder why.

_(And the chapter's title is supposed to be "Hairbreadth 'Scapes and Perilous Chances", but the allowable length was just a tad bit too short.)_

_**Original jutsu:**_

**Chidori Senkou (**_**Thousand Birds Flash**_**) – **Just like the normal Chidori in canon, except the lightning chakra is kept in small amounts within the tenketsu lining the arm via the hand seal sequence. Just before contact, the final mental command is given, and all the lightning-element chakra comes rushing into the forefront, constrained within the small chakra matrix made by actually molding some chakra into a framework that will not only save chakra use but also serve as a reserve – the framework will fire any residual lightning chakra should the technique be countered or interrupted. _A-rank in theory, but B-rank in application._

**Kairyushin no Jutsu** _**(Sea Dragon God Technique)**_ – Another Raiton jutsu, this is merely lacing a kusari-gama with lightning-element chakra. A higher level of this exists, where mere lightning chakra can be manipulated like a whip. _With weapon – C-rank; without weapon – B-rank. Can be an A-rank assassination jutsu if the line of chakra is concentrated enough (think Johnny Mnemonic's molecuwire weapon).  
_

**Sakura Fubuki no Jutsu **_**(Cherry Blossom Blizzard Technique) **_– Haruno Sakura's trademark shower of fun-sized explosive tags, best used as cover for a larger technique or to create a getaway and hopefully damage the opponent. When used in conjunction with other ninja tools (i.e. senbon), has potentially devastating effects. _D-rank, potential C-rank if used in conjunction with other weapons._

**Raioh no Tama** _**(Orb of the Thunder King)**_ – This jutsu is nothing more than a simple ball of lightning-element chakra propelled towards a foe. Its rank depends on its size, with larger balls corresponding to higher rank. _High D- to low B-rank._

_p.s. Sasuke's quote about Gaara transforming is from "Predator" and "Predator 2"._

_And Grand Chase is a great game. You must play it. Never mind the usual amount of jerks in PVP that is par for the course for any MMO.  
_


	19. Tears of Joy and Sorrow

_disclaimer_: naruto = kishimoto; nanoha = seven arcs; grand chase = kog; breath of fire = capcom

This chapter isn't that long, but it will serve to set up many future events.

Just read on and many unanswered questions and dangling plot threads will be addressed.

Again, if you have any questions, either leave a reply at the forum (link is in my profile) or leave a review with your questions (look at the forum for my answers.)

So here we go, chapter 19!

* * *

_At first, I was just another Clan's son. One night, everything changed._

_I was given the path of the avenger to follow, and I forsook everything for it._

_But the path is paved with betrayal and bloodshed, and I've only realized that I cannot do this alone - I will not do this alone._

_I will live for the future.  
_

_Naruto: Arcane Heart will now begin._

* * *

_**Naruto: Arcane Heart**_

**Chapter 19 – Tears of Joy and Sorrow**

The end of the joint Sound-Sand invasion, while not doing that much damage to the Village Hidden in the Leaves, nonetheless had a sobering effect on its inhabitants.

And none was more jarring than the fact that Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, was now dead – offering his life to the very god of Death itself to defeat his wayward student – renegade Leaf-nin, former Akatsuki and Shodaime Otokage – Orochimaru.

What was worse was that the only student of the Third who actively took charge of the Konoha defenses (after clearing the Hot Springs out of enemies – you can't be too careful), the great Toad Sage Jiraiya, was saddled with handling most of the village's affairs in the invasion's aftermath.

There were genin teams to mobilize en masse for helping out the repair and rehabilitation effort, rotating the ANBU for taking care of their more high-profile prisoners, periodic trips to Torture and Interrogation to squeeze whatever information one could from their captives, and generally keeping things going in spite of the tragedy that had befallen them.

In spite of all this, the Toad Sannin did manage to take some time out of his schedule to answer a favor from his godson (though the Uzumaki didn't know it yet) and do a little reinforcement and revision on Gaara's seal – it wasn't that hard a job, with the boy finding himself retaining most of his abilities while regaining a vital bodily function nearly everyone around him took for granted.

It also came out that the Fourth Kazekage was actually assassinated by the snake Sannin, meaning the Suna-nin were taking orders from the Otokage himself. Once that little detail was made known, it wasn't that hard to get the two villages' relations into working shape again (and several favors Konoha would ask from Suna in exchange for the Sand Siblings).

But as there were salvageable things, there were also things that were too far gone for anyone to do anything about – the summoned snake tearing through the Uchiha Clan compound rendered it into a pile of uninhabitable rubble.

Konohagakure had its work cut out for it as it sought to rise from the ashes stronger and more closely-knit than before…

* * *

Hyuuga Neji was doing some serious thinking now.

It wasn't that hard, actually – as several events had happened in close succession for him to seriously begin revising his view of the world.

His cousin had pleaded with him to see reason, and she got the stuffing kicked out of her for trying. Not that she didn't try hard enough, now that he could remember the details, she was literally all torn up inside and hanging on a thread as she labored to stand up, tears blurring her eyes as her Byakugan shone on, asking him to stop his grudge, stop this way of life, stop thinking of her as a tormentor when all she did was extend a hand towards him.

He grunted.

He hoped he didn't burn all his bridges towards Hinata, not when he'd gotten a taste of what being totally chakra-disrupted felt like after that strange stab by the Uzumaki.

He had just realized that from the start of the match, Uzumaki had been playing him, winding him around his finger, capitalizing on his anger at the Main House, his cousin Hinata, and the world in general for not recognizing his genius.

_But in his own way, Naruto did recognize my ability._

He recalled Naruto using nothing but regular Academy jutsu and those strange talking weapons of his to defeat the Hyuuga Clan's powerful techniques.

Then came the news that Kumo did try to get Hinata to defect – which she denied; he wondered why. _What could be tying her here to Konoha?_

And then just after the hostilities had ceased, Neji received his father's legacy: Hizashi's sacrifice did not come at the urging of the Main House Elders, this was someone selflessly putting his life on the line for the sake of his brother.

He looked at the sky – such a beautiful day, the sun is shining, and the flowers are blooming, it doesn't seem like the day before yesterday, we were invaded; and yet the world is still very pretty – and saw a flock of birds flying towards the distance.

_Maybe there's hope left for me._

_Maybe it's not too late to change things._

_Maybe…_

_

* * *

_

Five days after the invasion, a simple funeral was held for the Third Hokage.

Everyone went through the event in a sort of daze – ANBU wearing their immaculately white parade uniforms, faceless white masks marked with three red lines across the forehead, carrying the casket, Jiraiya doing his best to rein in his emotion as he went into a eulogy for his deceased sensei, and the pall-bearers easing Sarutobi-sama into his final resting place…

Kakashi gave a sobering look at Anko, and then at Guy, who responded in kind.

This wasn't a time to be celebrating kill counts.

Uchiha Sasuke looked on while this happened, and while his chakra reserves were back to normal, it seemed everything else had changed for him.

Uzumaki Naruto looked blankly at the one ultimate destination all ninja were headed and thought, _if this was how a Hokage dies, dying to protect those precious to him, then I'm not going to back out from that challenge. I won't – that's my way of the ninja_.

He steeled himself even more as he felt two hands clasp his shoulders.

Looking back, he saw Iruka-sensei and his Aunt Precia, both giving him the saddest smiles he'd ever seen from both of them.

Alicia was openly sobbing, and some of his fellow genin and friends looked on, tears rolling down their cheeks as they were exposed firsthand to the reality of being a ninja.

And then it started to rain…

* * *

A week had passed, and Jiraiya – Sarutobi-sama's appointed executor – had just gone through most of the old man's last will and testament. _Old monkey planned this out to the last detail, didn't he? _He read through the usual legacies – the estate goes to Asuma, Monkey contract goes to Konohamaru – but Asuma holds onto it until Konohamaru is of sufficient age and ability to sign it – the original Clan Restoration Forms go to Uzumaki Naruto…

…wait, what?

"I hereby bequeath all the forms and signed paperwork regarding the founding of the Uzumaki Clan to Uzumaki Naruto, for reasons my executor will only know once he has read through it completely," Jiraiya read aloud.

He'd gone through most of the document, finding nothing amiss, until the very last page…

"You bastard," Jiraiya muttered, wiping a tear from each eye on his sleeve. "You really were a bastard, sensei…"

And then he laughed.

* * *

They never really told him what had happened to his home when he got up after two days sleeping off his chakra exhaustion.

He tried to ask Kiba, Sakura, and Kakashi-sensei.

None of them gave him a good enough answer.

So, later that night, when the doctors said he was ready to be released, he got dressed and finally went home…

…only to find that there was no home left.

While before, the Uchiha District was formerly a ghost town, it was now just a pile of crushed stone, powdered concrete, mangled steel, and wooden splinters.

A wasteland of ghosts… and painful memories.

His dark brown eyes flashed into the black and red of the Sharingan, three tomoes swirling as he took in the sight.

There was nothing left here.

Nothing but ghosts, broken dreams, and failed ambitions.

At the time his life was on the line, he promised that while he still had that aim to hunt down his brother…

…now, there were more important things to do.

Uchiha Sasuke finally made his decision.

* * *

It seemed that the invasion forces seemed to know where and when to strike – most of the Clan Elders had somehow been tangled with Sound-nin cells – who proceeded to take any and every possible Konoha-nin out under orders from Orochimaru.

What was especially tragic and heroic was the cadre of Sound-nin found dead near the Hyuuga estates – the children's dormitories were not evacuated in time, and an error in the lines basically forced the aged Hyuuga elders to take up arms in an effort to preserve their next generation.

They did wonderfully – and paid for it with their lives.

"Not a bad way to go at all," Hyuuga Hiashi told his nephew after narrating these events to him. "And you say the Main Branch could only look after themselves… you did say that, didn't you?"

"Hiashi-sama… all this…"

"Soon… I just hope to be alive when it happens… there will be no Branch or Main family any more. There will only be the Hyuuga Clan."

Neji nodded at this statement, understanding.

Change really was coming in Konoha, even in the Clans.

* * *

In the dead of night, surrounded by wreckage, Uchiha Sasuke laughed.

And then, he cried.

He cried for the loss of his childhood when he was five, forced to relive the grisly murder of his entire clan by his deranged older brother over and over for 72 hours straight.

He cried for his brother, for what madness would bring someone as gentle a soul as him to do such a thing?

He cried for his parents, wherever they were, because in the end, he could not live up to the name Uchiha - yet still he remained, the last of them, no, the ONLY one of them left wearing the symbol of the white-and-red fan.

He cried for his sensei, the Copy-Nin Hatake Kakashi, and his teammates, the brash yet capable Inuzuka, and the recently-cured-of-fangirl-sickness Haruno Sakura.

He cried for his friend, the ninja who was assigned to work on his mind to wipe these memories from his brain, but failed… not for a lack of trying.

He laughed for all the amazing stories, humorous anecdotes, and helpful advice Yamanaka Inoichi had given him since the massacre.

He thanked the man for keeping him relatively functional even though by all rights he should be languishing in an institution, Sharingan analyzed and sperm samples collected "for the welfare of the village".

He thanked everyone, even Mr. Uzumaki the troublemaker, for seeing him as just Sasuke, and not some clan leader or elite ninja… just Sasuke.

He thanked Sakura for finally cutting the fangirl crap… right after he had pinched her butt at Kiba's suggestion. _Smooth._

He thanked who or whatever did this to the Uchiha compound.

Now all the dead can finally be buried.

Now, to send these ghosts off.

Now, to send these memories to their rightful place.

And lastly, to put these ambitions to complete and utter rest.

Hand seals flashed.

Horse, snake, ram, monkey, boar, horse, tiger.

Boom.

How's that for a nice sending-off party for all the Uchiha who have left and gone, eh?

He laughed.

All the insanity he'd been keeping in… he unleashed in that colossal Goukakyu no Jutsu, sending the littered wooden wreckage he'd piled up ablaze.

Kiba and Sakura were first at the scene, and when they arrived, they saw Sasuke lying a distance from the gigantic bonfire, eyes looking at the overcast sky.

He was weeping tears of blood, and those Sharingan eyes were spinning…

…they knew better than to ask, because even he didn't know what was going on…

The rain started to fall, putting out the fire.

"I can see clearly…" Sasuke whispered, after the torrent had quenched the fire, "…now that the rain is gone. All the mistakes have been burned up… destroyed."

He got up, and slowly, the red from his tears slowly vanished.

"We can start anew."

He looked to his teammates.

"Will you help me?"

Team 7 nodded.

"Of course, we're all in this together, Snark-suke!"

"I'll do whatever I can to help!"

"Thank you…"

_Thank you…_

It was the following morning when Uchiha Sasuke approached Hatake Kakashi at the cenotaph and respectfully asked for his assistance in how to become a Clan Leader.

* * *

A week and a half after the invasion, Jiraiya had called the Clan Heads and the Council together to discuss the Third Hokage's last will and testament in the conference room at the Hokage Tower.

Most of the clan heads were there: the Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka seated together; the Aburame, Inuzuka, and Hyuuga clan heads were also present, Sarutobi Asuma and the other jonin-sensei, the ANBU captains, and the heads of the merchant guilds and representatives of the Fire Daimyo were likewise in attendance.

"Before this meeting begins, Jiraiya-sama, I shall ask the Council for their permission to allow Uchiha Sasuke to participate in these meetings with me as the retainer and intermediary," Hatake Kakashi began.

"So young, and already a clan head?" Hyuuga Hisashi asked.

"Junior clan head, actually, Hyuuga-sama," Uchiha Sasuke answered. "I'm just here to learn the ropes, as I'll be on 'observer' status and won't actually have any say in these matters until I reach the age of eighteen, sir."

The strangest thing happened – the Hyuuga smiled at this.

"Well now, I'm glad that the future head of the Uchiha will prove to be an enlightened one," he said.

"I thank you for your praise, Hyuuga-sama," Sasuke replied. "But in a procedure like this one, it requires a council vote before it becomes valid, and I do not wish to waste any of your time than necessary."

"So it shall be, Uchiha-sama," Hiashi said. "As for the first matter today, all those in favor of Uchiha Sasuke taking a seat in this council as a junior Clan head?"

Many raised their hands.

"Any… opposed…?" Jiraiya asked.

Few did – and Sasuke did not mind – people had their own reasons for not wanting him there, he figured.

"Very well, the Uchiha Clan's seat in the Council is restored – junior Clan head status awarded to Uchiha Sasuke. Kakashi, I am sure you know what this responsibility entails," Jiraiya said.

"Yes, Jiraiya-sama."

"Very well, with that little thing out of the picture, let us move onto more important details. I have here the last will and testament of Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure. To begin…"

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto was taking a leisurely walk along the streets of Konoha – after three days of recovery and a week of grueling D-rank repair work, most of Konoha was back up and running.

Now that the D-Ranks were over, it was back to more brooding.

Yes, the matter of the Clan Restoration Act still deeply bothered him, as this was the loudmouthed (some of the time), hyperactive (again, some of the time), knuckehead ninja of Konoha playing with people's lives.

But what had actually bothered him more was when he told his Aunt Precia the whole story about signing that document to save Hinata from a grisly branding or an attempted Kumo abduction, or both.

Here Precia told him a little story of a smart woman and her daughter, and the daughter died… the woman literally went insane looking for a way to bring her beloved daughter back to life.

They managed to bring her body back, but it was not enough.

She even made someone who looked, sounded, and acted like her daughter... but it wasn't her daughter.

And then she had heard of Al Hazred... and the Jewel Seeds.

…his mind rebelled at the thought.

_Aunt Precia isn't that sort of person!_

_Is she?_

_Then if that's the case, what does that make me? Orochimaru? Old Man Hokage – bless his soul?_

He couldn't stop thinking about these things – it was as if his mind was a veritable maze and he was somewhere lost in shifting passages, trying to find a way out and failing.

This was the shape he was in when an ANBU appeared in front of him.

"Your presence is requested at the Hokage Tower."

"The Tower? Fine, I'll just go and…"

"Immediately, Uzumaki-san."

"All right then. Reynard?"

**"**_**Flug."**_

Naruto, after changing into that light blue coat again in a small flash of light, jumped a bit, floated a few feet into the air, and then rushed towards the Tower in a whooshing burst of speed, surprising the cat-masked ANBU.

_I have got to get me one of those, _she thought.

* * *

"…thus is the matter of my shares of stock in the Ginsen Tenshu corporation settled, and now…" Jiraiya droned on when a knock was heard on the door.

"Ah, excellent timing: Naruto, please come in."

The door opened, and Naruto walked into the conference room, bowing to all the clan heads before taking a seat.

"What are you doing here, Mr. Uzumaki?" whispered Sasuke.

"I don't know, Mr. Uchiha. Cat ANBU-san just summoned me here."

"…and I hereby bequeath all the forms and signed paperwork regarding the founding of the Uzumaki Clan to Uzumaki Naruto, as per the Clan Restoration Act enacted by the Shodaime Hokage…"

"What's going on?" Naruto asked.

"Beats me," Sasuke said. "Why'd you start up a clan of your own, anyway?"

"Long story…" Naruto answered.

"We'll be here awhile. You'll be finished before it's over."

"…Fine."

Kakashi had long since retreated to the sanctuary of his Icha Icha book to be paying attention.

* * *

"Naruto, stay a while," Jiraiya said as the reading of the Third Hokage's last will and testament had concluded, and all the clan heads eased their rear ends out of their seats and shuffled out of the conference room.

"BORING," Sasuke lip-synched at the Uzumaki before leaving, causing him to chuckle as he walked towards the Toad Sage.

"Here," he said, chucking an envelope filled with forms towards Naruto.

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

"You're a ninja, figure it out."

"Ugh…"

"Oh yeah, drop by the Tower tomorrow morning," Jiraiya added just as Naruto turned to leave. "Something came up."

"Uh… okay, Jiraiya-sensei. I'll… er… take my leave of you now, sir."

As Naruto closed the door behind him, Jiraiya started giggling. _Poor kid, trying to talk like the Uchiha…_

* * *

Everything hurt.

And then she opened her eyes.

"Sensei!"

"Sensei!"

"Yugito-sensei!"

She tried to make contact with Nibi, but it seemed she was sealed, or had exhausted too much chakra that she wouldn't be able to hear the Two-Tailed Cat's voice.

"What happened?" she finally asked her genin.

"You and that jonin kunoichi from Leaf fought off a horde of those invaders! It was awesome!" Aria said.

_Wait, wasn't I fighting Precia Testarossa?_

_Selective memory alteration?_

With Nibi-chan temporarily out of reach, they could do so… but…

"Didn't we have other mission objectives?"

"Sensei, you yourself told us: any secondary mission objectives are precluded by group consensus when unexpected things happen in the line of accomplishing them," Shinta said.

"Oh… right. So we didn't go after the Hyuuga girl?"

"You asked her to come to Kumo on her own, sensei. Or have you forgotten?"

"That battle was so awesome anyone who walked away from it should forget their name!" Tatsuya proclaimed.

"What are we doing in this town house anyway?" Yugito asked.

"Protective custody," Aria replied. "We're going home day after tomorrow, but not before I get a chunin vest from Konoha!"

Yugito smiled. Sometimes failing had its benefits, too.

* * *

He was walking through the late afternoon streets, looking through the intricacies of the documentation surrounding the establishment of a Clan in Konoha when he ran into the last person he wanted to meet: Hyuuga Hinata.

As their eyes met, both of them wanted to turn and run for it, but their legs froze from fear, hesitation, a need to tell what had been happening, and a whole lot of other things.

"H-h-h-hi, Hinata-chan…"

"H-h-h-hello, Naruto-kun…"

He regained his bearing. _It doesn't look cool stuttering like this!_ "Er, Hinata-chan… I've got some bad news to tell you."

"Me too, Naruto-kun…" she answered quietly. "Is there somewhere we can talk?"

After dropping by Ichiraku's (which had miraculously avoided any damage from the invasion, special thanks to Haku, Shino, Kurenai and Hinata) for some take-out, the two went to Naruto's favorite thinking spot – the top of the Fourth Hokage's carved stone head.

It was also very awkward having to deal with Mr. Ichiraku yelling "Go for it, Naruto-kun!" as they were walking away: people were wondering, what had got these two kids blushing like crazy?

A late afternoon sun blazed across the horizon as Naruto and Hinata had a leisurely snack of take-out ramen… and then Naruto began.

"How are things with you and your family?"

"Better," Hinata replied.

"That's good."

"Uh-huh."

"How's Neji and your sister Hanabi?"

"They're fine. Neji didn't get to join the action, though."

"Sorry to hear that."

"It's no problem, Naruto-kun."

"Hinata-chan…" Naruto said, hesitating.

"What is it, Naruto-kun?"

_Damn, it's now or never, one in a million shot, here we go! _"Hinata-chan, I know you probably won't forgive me…"

"Not forgive you? Naruto-kun… that's strange. What would you do that would make me not forgive you?"

"I… I signed a contract. I made a Clan and signed an engagement with you so your family wouldn't Seal you…" Naruto said, feeling thoroughly miserable.

Hinata could only stare.

"That's what's in the folder?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Let me read it."

"Okay, I haven't read through all of it myself."

They read as fast as they could, as evening was fast approaching, and when they had reached the last page, Hinata had grabbed the folder and looked intently at the part where Naruto had to scrawl his signature on.

She laughed.

Not the slight laugh of amusement shy girls would do, and not the annoying laugh noblewomen usually did, this was a full-on belly laugh that had her in stitches, she was rolling on the grass.

Naruto just watched, flabbergasted.

And when Hinata had finished her laughing, she sat on the grass, peeled off the last page and showed Naruto just what the reason she was laughing so hard for.

"Look at Hokage-sama's signature, Naruto-kun," she said.

* * *

_Several days ago…_

"Okay, this is just a bit too much, Hokage-sama." Precia Testarossa said. "I am this close to packing up and leaving for Cloud with my daughter."

"Precia-san, you must understand. This is an S-class entrapment operation."

"And you would use Naruto as some sort of bait? Like you did with a little weasel named Uchiha?"

The Third's eyes widened.

"Someone who's been shown the ropes of this place, holds no emotional attachment to the Uchiha clan and can see the political nature of this place would figure it out in a heartbeat, Hokage-sama," Precia said. "If you knew Yugito was going to venture her offer to Hinata, why did you allow what happened in the preliminary to happen?"

"To make sure that there would be an intervention. My ANBU had informed me of the Hyuuga Clan's movements."

"Not the whole Clan?"

"Several elders who I thought had the good sense to leave the game of other people's lives to others," Sarutobi grumbled. "Had they not found the reins of power to be too alluring to leave behind, my hand would not have been forced to play their game."

"That game you speak of… it has put Naruto in a very precarious position. And even if he may find out the truth, I don't think he would stick around here."

"Oh, you need not worry about that, as I don't have long to stay here any more…"

"You bastard," Precia whispered, "you complete and utter bastard. You mop up the Uchiha, and then the elders of most of the clans here and leave your successor to take care of the fallout?"

"I've made enough mistakes already, some even worse than this, if you want to know," the Hokage replied at this show of disrespect by one of his jonin, "and I've already left enough measures to make sure this won't totally ruin Naruto's loyalty to the Leaf. I've already talked to Jiraiya about it, and he agreed that you'd be the one to hold the details of Naruto and your indirect involvement in this."

"But… that means…"

"It means whatever you want it to mean, Precia…" Sarutobi replied. "Before you finalize your decision on whether to leave Konoha or not, go through the Clan Restoration contract once more."

She leafed through the papers, and was shocked at the ultimate result.

"**Monkey King Enma**?" she asked in total and utter disbelief.

"And you thought Naruto was a prankster," another voice joined in: it was Jiraiya.

"This is nothing short of malicious," Precia nearly spat out, "certainly nothing like what Naruto does."

"What was it you told sensei? 'Wake up and smell the jutsu?'" Jiraiya said, and added "okay, that was a pathetic attempt at defusing this situation with humor," when the room didn't lighten up one bit.

"Not one of your better efforts, my student."

"Yeah, yeah, but when you think about it, this is the best smokescreen you could have done - buy enough time for me to weed out the older **former** Clan heads thinking this is still some sort of civilian political game."

"With the climate around the villages and the aftermath of the Exams? Not likely. In case you need it to be spelled out for you, open war may have ended, but this is a secret war we still wage."

"Aside from that, this really is quite the plan you've done: you take care of the coup ringleaders, keep the next generation of clan heads out of this mode of thinking, get Uzumaki to grow up a bit and get back at him for all those pranks of his, and maybe show Testarossa here just exactly where we stand as a village," Jiraiya said. "You do know who the leaders of the coup are, right?"

"My former teammates," Sarutobi-sama said. "And to think I gave them a decent out from all this."

Precia mouthed off a muttered curse. "They're still at it?"

"Hence the subtly-choreographed incident - and I've been approached by the other Clan heads too. 'Retired' Clan heads and Clan council members they may be, but let's not be kidding ourselves here - that's just the letter and not the spirit talking, right?"

"How tragic. Is this the reality of what being Hokage is? Smoke, mirrors, cloak and dagger dealings?"

"Like my student said, 'wake up and smell the jutsu'."

"Still, for someone so smart, you were waylaid by your emotions too easily, inadvertently helping us further our actions versus this coup," Jiraiya told the jonin. "I don't need to remind you to only tell Naruto a summarized version of this after the exams, all right?"

Precia Testarossa merely hmmphed. "Fine."

"Also, SS-class secret, you know the drill, the works. Plus, we needed someone on Hinata until after the exams and the Kumo contingent leaves."

"You guys really are something," Precia said as she handed the papers back to the Third Hokage.

"Isn't politics fun?" he asked as she left the office.

As soon as the door closed, Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately grabbed the aspirin bottle and popped three of them dry.

"I'm really in no shape for this anymore."

"Tell me about it, this is why I don't want YOUR job anymore," Jiraiya said.

The Third Hokage laughed mirthlessly. "Good luck on your mole hunt, Jiraiya."

The Toad Sage merely nodded as he opened a window and exited, closing it behind him before he leaped off towards the red-lantern district.

* * *

And then there was the note clipped to the last page. It read:

_Naruto,_

_I don't think __**you**__ will be able to forgive me for having to do this, but I have my reasons: you will slowly understand on your way towards reaching your dream._

_While you may have gotten me with that Sexy Jutsu of yours (several times, I might add! Excellent job on making a passable copy of Anko – don't tell her that though), I still have the last laugh._

_Ha ha ha._

_I hope you come out of this little incident a stronger person._

_I'm sorry,_

_Sarutobi Hiruzen, Third Hokage_

Naruto bowed his head, and Hinata could sense his shoulders shaking, and tears beginning to stream down his cheeks.

_So this is what Aunt Precia wanted me to find out._

He cried.

And laughed.

What a tale to tell his contemporaries and to the next generation: Uzumaki Naruto, the most successful prankster of Konoha, evaded the ANBU, connoisseur of practical jokes, and the most unpredictable ninja of Konoha…

…laid low by a Hokage's final prank.

"Of course I forgive you, Old Man Hokage," Naruto said, looking up to the sky. "How could I not?"

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata said, also beginning to cry. "I was so close to going with that jonin from Cloud…"

"You were?"

"Yeah… but when I saw how hard you fought for me, I… I stayed… I'm so… sniff… sorry…" she said, now sobbing.

He just held her shoulder when she went into his arms, and they just sat there, he with tears rolling down his cheeks and she sobbing into his chest…

…and it was already dark, the clouds had just passed from the skies, leaving a star-filled sky…

"You okay?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah… yes, I am now, Naruto-kun…" she said.

"Come on, I'll walk you home."

She nodded, and one could see that as the two genin walked home, a burden seemed to have gone from each of their shoulders…

The very next day, the Konohamaru Corps had begun a new game: paper airplanes.

* * *

That night, as Uzumaki Naruto dreamed, he had wanted to end up in the Floating Continent and battle gods like Alicia had already did.

But it was not to be as waiting for him in the meadow was Kyuubi and Lass, the spirit of his Device.

"It seems you can actually fly now," Lass said. "You adapted to it very well."

"Yeah, I can fly."

"Good."

"Thanks."

"And by the way, congratulations – you passed another one of my tests."

"Test, Kyuubi-san? What kind of test is it?"

"Foxes are notorious tricksters, kid. To know this means you have to not only be able to dish it out, but take it, too."

"You don't mean…" Naruto said.

"You got that right," Kyuubi replied with a foxy chuckle. "Got your ass pranked hard, then laughed at yourself for falling for it, and ended up stronger because of it."

"I don't feel like I accomplished something, though."

"Oh, but you did! Didn't you notice that you were holding Hinata-chan's hand as you walked her home?"

Naruto immediately turned red at that.

"Hey Lass, look! Our boy is finally hitting puberty!"

The bijuu and the Device's spirit began chuckling, much to Naruto's chagrin as he reddened further.

"I thought it would take you a hundred more years to get to that," Lass said.

"She's just a friend."

"Keep telling yourself that, kid."

"No visualization training for a while," Lass added with that smug little smile of his that began to annoy Naruto.

"But Alicia-oneechan will be way ahead of me!"

"You'll catch up."

"Hey Lass, let's give him the training after Precia-san gives him… 'The Talk!'"

"Good idea!"

"Aw, man…"

The three of them shared a laugh in that meadow.

* * *

"Are we there yet?"

"A couple miles more, esteemed colleague."

"Come on! I've been walking for hours now! ARE? WE? THERE? YET?"

"Just a little more left to walk, my blue-skinned companion."

They saw the giant manmade forest that was the outer reaches of Konoha upon ascending the small hill.

"Excellent, we've finally reached the mission objective."

"It's showtime."

Chapter 19 – **END**

**a/n: **I am not going to pump up the fluff any more than it should be fluffed – but every fic has to have its fluff parts – and now's a good time as any to bring out the WAFFy parts… plus, it's also nice to have Lass and Kyuubi poke fun at their host.

And in case any of you were confused about the events of this chapter, Sarutobi signed the Clan Restoration contract not with his signature, but with "Monkey King Enma"; the whole contract is just about as useful as a lot of scrap paper to draw on, fold, or make into confetti.

Sasuke's quote about mistakes and starting anew is from Thomas Edison.

Also, I find it enjoyable to write Uchiha Sasuke - especially filling the unaddressed gaps in his personality.

_Next chapter:_ Akatsuki, Sharingan, and a Successor! Just what were the black flames Sasuke used against Gaara's sand? Will Kakashi be trapped in Itachi's genjutsu like in canon? With Precia knowing the truth about the other Uchiha, what will transpire next? And what about choosing a Hokage now that Jiraiya had explicitly said that he didn't want the job?

(By the way, that little snippet about Hokage-sama's stock shares is a little shout-out to "Art of the Deal", a rather well-done Naruto fic by Case13. Check it out when you have the time.)

**All that and more at the next update, so please review!**


	20. Ominous Red Clouds

_disclaimer_: naruto = kishimoto; nanoha = seven arcs; kog = grand chase; capcom = breath of fire; stayin' alive = the bee gees.

This chapter isn't what most expect - but despite the little run-in with Itachi and Kisame it will serve as a lull before the alternate plot starts gathering momentum - by the time Tsunade is made to return to Konoha, the plot threads are going to be picked up, and awesome things will start to happen.

And the reason these chapters are easier to write are because I have canon events assisting me. After certain canon events take place, it's gonna be slightly harder to update up to the inevitable time skip, and then there's the canon start... for all of five minutes.

Enough of my rambling, here's chapter 20.

**_Naruto: Arcane Heart_**

**Chapter 20 - Ominous Red Clouds**

There were very few who knew the fact that Yamanaka Inoichi had an MD and a Ph.D in psychiatric studies - well, because most of his out-of-Fire Country training was kept a rather discreet secret to nearly everyone.

Everyone but one Uchiha Sasuke, as the Yamanaka had done everything he could to salvage the boy from the brink of insanity by any and every means necessary... and did a better job than most, apparently.

Granted, Sasuke still lapsed into it from time to time and could only sleep around three hours a night without specialized sleeping medication normally prescribed to ANBU operatives so he wouldn't go back to that dream where he had to sit through 72 hours of grisly murder.

And as a strange result of all the therapy sessions, psychiatric evaluations and what-have-you, Uchiha Sasuke became an irregular fixture at the Yamanaka house.

That was when Inoichi's daughter Ino became Uchiha Sasuke's very first fangirl... and the sole expert on the sport of "Sasuke-watching" (since Haruno Sakura gave up **that** game at the Uchiha's request)... whatever that meant.

Why was this relevant? Because early in the morning, as Ino and her team were waiting for their sensei to return from the Tower for their daily D-ranks, Yamanaka Ino saw someone strutting down the streets, bobbing his head and timing his steps to the beat of a portable music player.

_That can't be Sasuke._

_That's **NOT** Uchiha Sasuke!_

_**It's impossible!**_

_Sasuke doesn't have **that swagger** in his walk!_

Her other two teammates seemed to be vaguely amused at the sight, and her reaction to it.

***

_Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk, I'm a woman's man, no time to talk..._

Uchiha Sasuke virtually strutted through the streets of a busy midmorning Konoha.

Let me repeat that: strutted.

There was a spring in his step, a glimmer in his eye, and everything that seemed to speak that "THIS WAS THE UCHIHA SASUKE BEFORE THE CLAN GOT KILLED OFF!". The wardrobe also seemed to show him relaxed, confident, and feeling that even though this was a ninja village where s**t could could hit the fan at any given time, all was well with the world at this very moment.

Bobbing his head this way and that with his hands in his pockets, he thought of the day's activities: meet Kakashi and talk about maybe leasing part of the Uchiha Clan properties, head to the Tower and hopefully catch Hokage-sama's executor (Jiraiya was his name) to get a D-Rank for his team and maybe one or two other genin teams to sweep away the ashes of what used to be the Uchiha Compound.

He cut a dashing sight through the girls as he walked, even if he was just wearing a simple royal blue t-shirt with the symbol of the Leaf on it, the Uchiha Clan's symbol on a black mourning armband, off-white slacks and kung-fu shoes.

Seeing the Testarossa family doing their weekly market run, he bowed lightly to them as they passed, which they returned.

"Good morning, Precia-san; Alicia-san. Still on break?" Sasuke asked, one foot tapping to the beat of the music going in his ears.

"Nah, after this, it's back to team training and maybe a D-rank or two."

"If you don't mind, Precia-san, maybe you guys could use a hand?" he volunteered.

"Our home isn't that far; thanks for the thought, Uchiha-san," Precia replied, smiling.

"See you, Mr. Uchiha!" Alicia said, waving as she and her mother continued the walk home.

He waved back. Mr. Uzumaki had a good head on his shoulders giving him that nickname - he liked being called Mr. Uchiha.

Smiling, he kept walking until he finally arrived at that old bridge his team used as their usual meeting place - where his team was waiting right now.

"Well, you certainly look different," Inuzuka Kiba said as their teammate arrived.

"You look a lot better now, Sasuke-kun," Haruno Sakura added.

"Why, thanks," Sasuke replied with a genuine grin of appreciation, and it was obvious to his teammates that the incident a few nights ago had seemed to bring him down to earth even more than they originally thought.

"So what do you think will be featured on the menu today? Boring D-ranks with Kakashi-sensei, boring chakra control exercises with Ebisu-sensei featuring the Konohamaru Corps, or - wonder of wonders - boring AND painful taijutsu plus weapons training with Anko-sensei?"

"Judging by the ecchi look on your face, you're looking forward to training with Anko-sensei, Kiba."

"And **YOU** don't sneak looks down her coat while she bends forward when sparring?"

Sasuke merely shrugged, neither confirming nor denying. "There's the right time for ecchi-related stuff. Not just while training."

"Why don't you guys notice me..." Sakura said in mock dejection.

"Look, Sakura," Kiba answered, "you've been under a deluded fangirl cloud for so long, you're only beginning to catch up. I mean it's been what - nine weeks - since you stopped dieting, stopped worrying about your looks and took sensei's training seriously, right? Turn around."

She did so.

"And those," Kiba said with a chuckle, "are two reasons why you're improving in that regard."

Sakura felt a finger poking a rather personal part of her anatomy.

Crash.

"You're always a pervert."

"That... was... supposed to be a... compliment..."

Sasuke laughed, and his teammates followed suit.

"You need to learn discretion, Kiba. Otherwise you'll just be a lonely pervert with no sex life."

"What do you know about sex life anyway, Snarksuke?"

"Ever heard of a little ninja skill called reading?" Sasuke asked with a twinkle in his eyes. "Maybe you can get Sakura to avoid knocking you on your ass every time you make a comment about hers. Though I will admit, for someone at her age, it is a very nicely-shaped..."

"Not... another... word," Sakura said, beginning to seethe.

"...and here I was thinking you'd become a better person after outgrowing that fangirl phase of yours," Sasuke said, dodging the punch. "I seem to be wrong."

***

"Tell me again why you didn't let me at those guards at the gate?"

"I know those chumps personally - they fold like a bad poker hand at even an E-rank genjutsu. Plus if it helps, should buy us some time to get what we came here for."

"That's... the most I've heard you talk in awhile, Itachi."

"I just feel nostalgic when I return here, Kisame."

"You... nostalgia?" the larger man - Kisame - said, the straw hat on his head shaking with his laughter. "That's a good one."

"I'll burn your sword in your sleep," Itachi replied as they walked on.

"Cold fish."

"Cold-blooded ecchi."

"Mud stick."

"Land shark."

"Plaster statue."

"Loan shark."

"YOUR MOM's a loan shark."

"Why, actually yes, she was."

"**ARGH!** Foiled again. Oh look, it seems we've been spotted."

"Hmm," Itachi replied, fiddling with the brim of his straw hat.

***

"Please state your business here in Konoha," Hatake Kakashi told the smaller of the two strangers standing before him wearing black cloaks with embroidered red clouds. Here he was, about to meet his team, get a D-rank, maybe a little team sparring and hopefully wrap up negotiations regarding Sasuke wanting to lease some of the Uchiha Clan properties for a few years while he rebuilds...

...and these troublemakers show up. Worse, it seems these were the troublemakers Jiraiya-sama had warned the Third about.

Things were just going from bad to worse as the smaller man chucked his straw hat dramatically, revealing a familiar face wearing a Leaf forehead protector slashed across the middle.

"Hello, senpai."

"...Itachi."

Before anyone could do a thing, Kakashi immediately raised his forehead protector, revealing the Sharingan eye.

"...no disrespect meant to the valiant dead, but so far, you've been making better use of Obito-san's eye than he ever could."

"No offense taken, I'm sure that's what he'd say," Kakashi said. "But... I do. And who's this friend of yours?"

Another overly dramatic straw hat toss, and the blue face of someone who looked like a cross between a man and a shark grinned at him.

"START TO RUN BECAUSE I'M A SHA-" the blue man said, before Itachi looked at him strangely with a sideways glare, "er, Hoshigaki Kisame, formerly of Mist, at your service."

"What would two S-ranked missing-nin be doing in a wreck like this, you ask?" Itachi said. "Well, there's always the usual manner you get your answers."

He parried a kunai slash from the Copy-Nin. "...and THAT works too, most of the time. Sadly," the rogue Uchiha added as his Sharingan spun to life, "this is NOT one of those times."

***

Yuuhi Kurenai and Sarutobi Asuma were about to meet their teams after a rather discreet breakfast together when they felt something like Kakashi's chakra flare.

"Something's up," he had simply told her, and they wasted no time immediately making haste towards where their fellow jonin-sensei was most likely engaged in combat.

***

"Head home," Precia advised her daughter as she felt a strange crispness in the air, just as they were about to meet their respective teams.

"A chakra flash..." Alicia said. "Mother, what's going on?"

"Let me handle it, okay, Alicia? Get home ASAP, activate the seals and look after Naruto. I have a bad feeling about this."

"Alright, Mother," Alicia answered as she began running back home.

Precia had her Barrier Jacket up and her Device in Knight Sword Mode even before she went dashing towards the source of the chakra flare.

And upon her arrival, she saw a very strange sight: Asuma already had his trench knives out and was already locked in a weapon fight with a strange blue-skinned man wielding an even stranger sword, Kurenai was down with a kunai stab to the leg, Kakashi was motionless in the bushes, and Sasuke was sitting in the middle of it all, seemingly looking at nowhere.

And then someone who looked a lot like Sasuke came charging at her.

She saw red eyes for barely a second before she dove for cover - and promptly had to dodge a green blur from nearly knocking her head off.

"MY APOLOGIES, PRECIA-SAN! IT SEEMS MY FIRES OF YOUTH ARE BURNING TOO BRIGHTLY TODAY!"

"No prob. You take the Uchiha, I'll take the... are those gills on your face?" Precia asked, switching between conversation partners.

"Oh, these?" the blue man answered. "They're... uh... uh... what's the word for it, Itachi? Vegetable? Vestibule?"

"It's **VESTIGIAL!**" Itachi said as he dodged a kick that was meant to knock him into next week.

"Thanks. They're vestigial. Haven't seen you around, tootsie. And oh, you have a sword, too!"

"Care to see what else it can do?" Precia asked.

"I think I'm in love already," Kisame answered.

"Cut the flirting," Itachi said as he threw a Goukakyu-Daitoppa combo at the spandex-clad taijutsu expert to distract him. "We're not here for that."

"Tch, fine. Time to get the big boy out," the former Mist-nin answered, removing another third of the bandages on his weapon.

"**_Switching to Active-Core,_**" Hrist acknowledged.

Precia smiled, and looked to the other two jonin. "Asuma-san, get Kurenai-san somewhere safe."

"What about Kakashi-san and the rogue Uchiha?"

"They're not the targets of these people."

"**HEY!** You guys keep talking like I'm not in front of you!" Kisame shouted.

"I know someone who said something that was nearly identical to that," Precia said, readying her Knight Sword as she covered the two jonin's retreat. "and apologies for speaking ill of the dead, but I wiped his ass all across Wave country."

"You're the one who beat Zabuza? Small world," Kisame said, cracking a toothy grin as he blatantly ogled his opponent. "Not only pretty, but a dynamite body as well."

"What did I tell you about flirting?" Itachi asked as he dodged another hellish kick.

"Ugh, what a spoilsport," Kisame said as he charged forward, only for his opening slash to be guarded by Precia easily.

"You know what?" he stage-whispered to the Leaf-jonin as their weapons clashed, "the reason he's been so grouchy is that we never get to visit any Red Lantern districts."

Precia chuckled, but it was a mistake, as a half slash from Kisame's strange sword shredded through most of the scarf and the clothes on her shoulder.

"Holy mackerel! DEM SHOULDERS! Now I'm really gonna hate myself if I end up injuring you," the shark-man said. "Wait a minute..."

"Kisame! Are you done yet?" Itachi asked.

"Oh crap," Kisame said as he made hand seals and fired several Suiryudan at Precia. "Looks like my partner needs me to pull his ass out of those Fires of Youth burning over there, hehe," he added as Precia swatted and slashed at the water dragons, slowly but surely disrupting them. "Looks like the 108-blade action for clean, smooth shave every time will have to wait for another day. Until then, cutie!"

The Akatsuki duo then barely managed to knock an in-the-zone Might Guy away before retreating to a different part of town.

***

Uchiha Sasuke woke up.

And he was still at the park.

He was on his way to see Kakashi about a possible lease when he had felt something, like a rush of blood to the heart, something in his gut that told him that the man he wanted answers from was here.

Itachi.

It was the perfect approach as he neared the park where he felt several chakra flares: Kisame was battling one of the other jonin-sensei - Sarutobi Asuma - while Yuuhi Kurenai was technically out of the contest.

Kakashi-sensei was matching his demented brother move for move, when he felt Itachi's chakra begin to rise before gathering around his eyes.

As he charged in to intervene, time seemed to slow down to a crawl as be began to see shadowy black hands dripping red begin to reach out, about to grab his sensei.

There was absolutely no room for error as Sasuke's hands flowed into the seals.

_Mold a large amount of chakra... and then move into the Ram seal._

_And now the Ram, Boar, Ox, Dog, and Snake._

He shoved his sensei out of the reach of those black hands, and swapped with a shadow clone at the very last moment... and what happened next made his skin crawl.

The shadowy hands grabbed onto his shadow clone and retreated right into Itachi's left eye... and the same black hands shot out moments afterward, clutching a shivering shadow clone, shoving it forward before the hands retreated to the inside of the rogue Uchiha's left eye.

As the shadow clone popped back into existence, it dispelled, giving Sasuke a heavily sped-up version of what his brother had in store: another night at the Uchiha Clan District, watching the same ghosts again and again.

Thankfully the shock and disbelief of seeing hands grow out of his brother's eye to suck something in drove most of the visions away - but it didn't matter.

"You really want those dreams to stop, Sasuke-kun?" Inoichi had asked him, the last time they talked.

"I know keeping me filled with drugs and supplements are only short-term. I need something to help me actually conquer it."

"Live through it. See it. See death again and again until you've become somewhat desensitized to it. Because what you see dying in your dreams are the ghosts of the past."

"And what can't be living can no longer be hurt, is that right, Yamanaka-san?"

He finally got his eyes open, and saw that only he and his sensei were left at the park, several gouges in the stone promenade the only proof of the battle that had transpired.

In the aftermath, he saw his sensei still unconscious with a bump on the head. _It's probably because I shoved him into a branch or something and he hit his head..._ Sasuke thought sadly.

"Sensei," he said, giving the Copy-Nin a nudge.

"Ugh... damn it, where'd Itachi go?" Kakashi replied.

"Sensei, it's me, Sasuke, and the coast is clear."

"Sasuke? What happened?" he asked as he sat back up, covering his Sharingan eye.

"I was hoping you would tell me... that was nothing short of weird."

"No kidding... you have 6 tomoe now?"

"Uh... yeah, Sensei. Got it back in the Gaara fight," Sasuke answered, returning his eyes to their usual color. _How'd I activate my Sharingan without me knowing?_

"All right. Come on, we have to report to Jiraiya about these intruders."

"Yes, Sensei."

The last Uchiha hit the "Play" button once more as he walked more sedately along with his jonin-sensei towards the Tower.

_Life goin' nowhere... somebody help me..._

***

Near the Hokage Tower, Jiraiya had expected visitors...

...but he didn't expect it to be these two.

"Took you two Akatsuki blockheads long enough," the Toad Sage said upon seeing the two missing-nin wearing black cloaks with red clouds descend upon the Hokage Tower's lobby.

"We're here for the Shodaime's legacy, Sannin," Itachi said, advancing on the Sannin. "Where is it?"

"It died along with the Shodaime. Or didn't you hear our friend Orochimaru used a little technique that brought him AND the Nidaime back when he fought his old master?"

"So where's the boy?" Kisame asked.

"Oh, come on, both of us have been old hands at this sort of game for quite some time now; don't make either of us look dumb," Jiraiya said as he finished a few hand seals, transporting the three of them instantly into a pulsing, fleshy cavity.

"Either this guy burns you to a crisp or starts to digest you, your choice, kids," Jiraiya said, only to gape as Itachi busted out of there with a strange technique involving black fire, nearly carrying his partner with him.

After sealing the strange fire inside a scroll, the Toad Sannin sighed. _Glad I didn't start on that 'inescapable trap' thing,_ he thought.

***

"Jiraiya-sama!" Kakashi and Guy had said as they reached the side office in the Tower that served as the Toad Sannin's temporary office, Sasuke following suit.

"You don't need to sprinkle it with details, I heard. They wanted something called 'the Shodaime's legacy', actually. Almost got them before Itachi used some black fire to burn his way out of my trap."

"Black fire, sir?" Uchiha Sasuke asked.

"Why, you've seen it?"

"Uh..." Sasuke hesitated. "I was able to break out of Gaara's sand with a surge of black and purple flames, sir. I-I-I don't know how I managed to do it."

Kakashi's eye widened at the admission.

"Shut the door, Guy," Jiraiya ordered. "You guys should keep quiet about this. S-class secret for the meantime until we make heads or tails of all this. Meanwhile... I'm leaving Hokage duty to you, Kakashi."

"Of course, Jiraiya-sama." The last council meeting - which Sasuke had not attended thanks to his torching the ruins of the Uchiha District - had given Konoha a breakthrough - the Clan heads, Daimyo and guildmasters had unanimously agreed that Senju Tsunade would be the next logical Hokage.

"What do I do in the meantime, sir?" Sasuke asked.

"...Hmm... given what little I know about the Uchiha Clan from my former teammate, most of the libraries are underground - which means they survived your little clearing operation."

"Er, regarding that..."

"Don't worry about it, given your status it's well within your right as administrator over your property. I already even have the forms ready for the rest of the clearing. Just have your sensei sign it as acting Hokage, then you sign as the client, and then tomorrow there will be a genin team or two at the Uchiha District."

"Thank you, Jiraiya-sama."

"Don't mention it. Oh by the way, Sasuke... I'll be trusting you to tell your sensei to get down to brass tacks immediately, as I will be readying myself for the trip tomorrow morning," Jiraiya said. "By the way, Guy... don't expect you'll get out of dropping the ball on Lee-kun and Neji lightly. I don't think it will be that harsh, but not all of it will come up roses, either. Keeping the rogue Uchiha at bay earlier gets you points in my - hopefully also Tsunade's - book though."

"Yes, sir." Guy took this nonchalant dressing-down like a kick to the face - go with the flow to minimize resistance and injury.

"Now to find a suitable traveling companion."

"Jiraiya-sama, what about the Momochi?" Kakashi said.

"Haku? Well, that's a pretty good suggestion, as she's rather cute... hey, why are all of you laughing?"

***

In the middle of retreating from Konoha and back towards their base by the most random and circuitous of routes, Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame were once again arguing.

"You said Shodaime, NOT Yondaime."

"I did not!"

"Did so."

"Did not."

"Did so."

"Did not."

"Did."

"Not."

"You actually did. Want to go back to Konoha for a second opinion?"

"Bad idea."

"Suit yourself," Kisame answered. "Actually, I wouldn't mind going back to Konoha. That kunoichi with the dark hair is my type."

"Someone's in love~" Itachi said singsong, aiming to mess with the former Mist-Nin's head.

"Damn straight, and those legs... Ooh!"

"You do realize that the chick you were fighting and flirting with is Precia 'The Lightning Goddess of the Leaf' Testarossa, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"The Bingo Book from Mist says she has a genin daughter."

"Bonus points for me, then."

Not wanting to further explore Kisame's other... eccentricities, Itachi did not reply to that and instead looked into the horizon.

"Well, with that, it looks like we're officially screwed with the boss, are we?" Kisame asked after several minutes of uncomfortable silence had passed.

"It looks like it."

"Remember the bet we made, Itachi?"

"Of course. _'Whoever screws up a sortie gets to do what his partner asks.'_ Oh, brother," Itachi said, palming his face.

"Red lantern district, here we come," Kisame said, his smile growing until it actually closed his eyes. "Don't worry, Itachi, I'll find a girl that's your type. Besides, since this is the first time you've lost on our running bet, I'm obliged to be nice."

They quickly moved through the treetops, clearing the Fire Country border in near-record time as Kisame couldn't wait to cash in on that bet.

***

"Alicia! Naruto!" Precia called as she opened the door to their apartment.

"Here, Mother," Alicia said, her head poking out of her room.

"Yeah, I'm here too," Naruto chimed in.

"Oh, thank goodness. Today was rather horrible," Precia said, shuddering at the skirmish this morning. _And I didn't like the way that blue-skinned man was looking at me, it was as if he was disrobing me with his eyes!_

"Yeah, we heard from Jiraiya-sama," Naruto replied. "He dropped by for a bit and then left around half an hour ago."

"You did? What else?"

"I dunno, he said he was gonna bring me with him for a training trip of sorts... he said I was gonna help him bring back the next Hokage or something."

"Oh, that's why you've been making a mess trying to pack up," Precia said as she entered Naruto's room, finding it a war zone. "Didn't you already take the Seals and Sealing proficiency yet?"

"Not yet, the chunin exam was priority, remember? Don't worry, Aunt Precia, I'll take the Sealing elective as soon as I get back. Believe that."

"Just be careful and don't let Jiraiya turn you into an ecchi like him."

"Of course."

"Mother, does this mean I get to train with you a bit more?"

"A little, but you still have team duties. Those go first."

"Okay, thanks!"

"You're welcome. Want to help me make dinner?" Precia asked her daughter.

"Sure thing!"

"I'm gonna pinch in a bit too-ow!" Naruto tried to go and help his family out but ended up tripping on a stack of manga and falling down, earning some chuckles from the Testarossas.

***

There were several good and not-so-good things about being acting Hokage.

That was the first thing Hatake Kakashi thought, as just when he'd started on that rather excellent dream involving Mitarashi Anko and some sushi, Hoshigaki Kisame suddenly appeared and hit him with a Suiryudan right in the face.

He got up in a start, lone eye shooting open only for it to meet the visage of the last Uchiha - who was standing at his bedside, grinning like a lunatic while clutching a small bucket of water.

An empty bucket.

"Hatake-sama, you're not just a sensei for genin anymore, you're an acting Hokage now," Sasuke said.

Oh, right, this guy sleeps only three hours a night because he has nightmares.

Kakashi tried to ask what time it was, but it came out rather garbled. "Whaddymzid?"

"Three-thirty, Hokage-sama."

"This... this is just a bad dream, I'm still in a genjutsu, that's it..." Kakashi said before trying to go back to sleep, but something seemed to click in his mind when he saw the wet all over his pillow.

"The next one will have ice cubes, Hokage-sama. Come now, it's not good form for a Hokage to be under the influence of 'Kakashi Time'."

"Damn it..." was all Kakashi could mutter as his student dragged him from bed. "What about breakfast?"

"Don't worry about it."

_I've created a monster... Obito, forgive me..._

***

A few hours later, around daybreak, nearly most of Naruto's friends had gathered at the town gates to see him off: his Aunt Precia and Alicia-oneechan, fellow genin teammates Haku-chan, Hinata-chan and Shino-kun (who gave him a rather funny account of his Chunin Exam fight with the Suna kunoichi, where he bluffed the last part of the way to a draw simply by suggesting that he snuck a bug into an intimate part of her anatomy).

"Come back safe and sound, all right, Naruto-kun?" Precia asked.

"We'll look after Konoha for you, Jiraiya-sama! And Naruto... don't skip training!"

"Okay, okay..."

Shino merely nodded, which the Uzumaki returned with a nod of his own and a goofy grin.

Hinata, well... when their faces met, it was only a mere moment before the two each looked away, faces beginning to turn red.

"G-g-g-godspeed, Naruto-kun..." she whispered.

"Uh... sure... you'll be okay with my Aunt, oneechan and Haku-chan, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Cool."

Neither Naruto nor Hinata had noticed that Shino had taken several pictures of their interacting, while Haku was smiling widely, the Testarossas were discreetly giggling and Jiraiya was scribbling down furiously on a notepad.

"Well, gotta go, time's of the essence!" Naruto finally said.

"Come on, kid," Jiraiya added, as the two began the mission of finding the newly-appointed Hokage.

The Toad Sannin didn't know whether she'd take the job or not - one thing was for sure, he didn't want the job, and having him as Hokage would do more harm than good for Konoha in the long run.

Plus, he already got back at Sakumo's son for not telling him about the former Mist missing-nin's true gender.

As they walked down the path, Jiraiya finally found himself in a teasing mood after seeing the inordinately awkward farewell Naruto gave Hinata. That is so going into my next book, he thought as he burst into song.

"And they called it... puppy love... oh, I guess they'll never know."

What he didn't know was that within Uzumaki Naruto's mindscape, a little red fox with nine tails was singing along.

_Ugh, if this is what they want to be doing all the trip through, I'm not gonna get any training or even visualization done, _he thought.

_Rest and relaxation are important too, Meister, _came the voice of his Device in his head.

_I guess you're right..._

They walked on out of Konoha and onto the path towards several towns in Fire Country, the mission to search for the granddaughter of the Shodaime in full swing...

Chapter 20 - **END**

**a/n:** As I said in the forums, while I might not like a certain character, that does not give me the right to bash him/her. Even if I would give them limited screen time, everyone has a chance to get their fifteen minutes in the limelight.

Kisame's comment on Precia having a "dynamite body" came from that blog post where someone made a comment on Fate in StrikerS having the same. Like I said, it's genetic.

And "Puppy Love" is by Paul Anka. Just thought it a rather appropriate song to mercilessly tease Naruto with.

Next chapter will be a parallel plot: the misadventures of the acting Hokage, Hatake Kakashi and his assistant Uchiha Sasuke and the search for Tsunade goes into high gear.


	21. Double or Nothing

_disclaimer:_ again, none of this is mine. Naruto = Kishimoto; Nanoha = Seven Arcs; Grand Chase = KoG; Breath of Fire III = Capcom; Ouran High School Host Club = Hatori Bisco; Harold & Kumar = Kurwitz/Schlossberg; God Hand = Capcom and Clover

**15K VIEWS FUCK YES YOU ARE THE BEST BOSS FIGHT EVER.** (pardon the swearing, it's part of the joke. :p)

I'm also currently in the midst of updating from the ground up because the story layout simply didn't allow the scenes, sequences and flashbacks I wanted to be inserted (and would ruin the story flow). Backread from the start (oh joy) to see the additions and modifications.

Anyway, here's Chapter 21. Blackjack!

* * *

_Everything felt like it happened a lifetime ago. What I wanted was acknowledgment. What I received was a family._

_The quiet courage given to me, the need to protect... will that give me the power to win the day?  
_

_Naruto: Arcane Heart will now begin._

* * *

**_Naruto: Arcane Heart_**

**Chapter 21: Double or Nothing**

"The flop is a ten-spade, three-heart, queen-spade," the dealer announced.

This was bad news and worse news for the blonde woman, peeking at the corner of her cards at the Hold 'Em table, weighing her options, and keeping up the regulation poker face so they wouldn't know what's on her mind.

It had barely been several hours since she and her companion walked into this resort and casino town, looking to blow a few thousand ryo on the sights - and then the woman just had to spy a "Turbo Sit and Go" sign on one of the poker houses.

Something in the air is a bit off, the woman thought. It had started several days before, a week or so into this little gambling run she had brought her companions along with. When she won a king's ransom off the so-called "unluckiest" slot machine in the last casino she'd been in, the feeling that bad things were about to happen prompted her to abruptly pick up her bags and drag her companion out of town, just as the younger girl had made the acquaintance of a rather cute Mist-nin...

Going back to the present, she turned her head to the side, and looked at the corners of her hole cards once more: the bad news was that she only had a king and an ace.

The worse news was that both these cards were spades.

She closed her eyes and sighed.

"I'll raise you 1,500 on that," another blonde said. This one had rather feminine facial features, a ponytail and wore simple slacks and a shirt that said "I blew up half of Iwagakure and all I got was this lousy T-shirt". He (if that is to be believed) pushed his chips forward, and the blonde noticed that his hands seemed to be bandaged heavily.

"Call," the woman said, horrifying her companion. If she could have, the younger brunette standing protectively near her older companion would have whispered 'you don't call on a large bet when playing off an inside straight draw off the turn', but this had all the trappings of 'league play' on it.

Besides, the way the blonde guy looked at her spoke volumes: this was bordering on serious business - and his normally cheerful eyes hardening meant 'I'm a ninja too, don't even think about it.'

"Oh, this is gonna be fun. I'll call, too," said the third player.

"Throw mine in as well," called the fourth.

"And the turn is... queen-diamond."

The guy with the bandaged hands grinned. _Full house, dummies. Raise it, and I'm gonna send all you packing at the showdown. Poker is a blast, **YEAH!**_

Truth be told, he had picked up on the intricacies of this little game because even after reading through all the scrolls he could find on the subject, he still couldn't beat that paper girl during poker night. No one could, not even their colleague with the red eyes. Keeping a poker face was also part of the deal, since the redheaded master of marionettes he was teamed up with oh-so subtly dropped the hint that he needed to learn the finer parts of emotional control.

The guy who looked like what would happen if Frankenstein's monster took up the occupation of ninja also agreed with this: poker was a good hobby and a way to make a decent buck, if you were good enough.

His partner was too busy swearing up a storm upon losing another hand the last time they had a poker night, so he'd been barred from joining in - that got him swearing even more.

As he remembered this, he reminded himself about the need to relax - things would start getting hectic soon, and he needed to be at more than a hundred per cent should things go as arranged.

And then his thoughts were broken by the blonde actually going for broke.

"All in," she said simply.

_Look at the nerve on this one! _he thought. _Now this is all the high-stakes drama I'm used to - without the perils of that job._

"I'll call you on this," he replied. _She had won several previous hands, meaning that if he called her bluff, he'd bust out - but that was the point of the game, after all! Better to go out with a BANG! at the showdown than fizzle out at the heads-up._

"Call," the third guy said, pushing his chips towards the center of the table.

The fourth said nothing as he nudged his stack to the table. "Go."

"And the river..."

The dealer flipped the card.

"Jack-spade."

They all turned up their cards for the showdown.

Silence reigned for a few minutes, before the blonde guy laughed.

"...that was a BLAST!" he said. "Losing was never this much fun. And by a royal, too!"

"Winner, Fujioka Haruhi," announced the dealer. "Royal flush, spade."

"Hey, you don't look all that well," he said to Haruhi as she prepared to take up her winnings and go. "Smile, you just won big! Busted out three guys in one hand with a royal flush!"

"Er... oji-san," the younger woman answered, "Haruhi-sama normally has the worst luck when it comes to these things. When something like this happens, we have to leave immediately. Thank you for the game, uh..."

"Wansuke. Kamiruiji Wansuke, professional poker player, at your service," the blonde man said, shaking the younger woman's hand. "We should play again sometime."

"Of course, should we run on each other, I suppose I owe you a rematch," Haruhi answered. "Come on, Shizune, Let's get going."

"Yes, Haruhi-sama!" Shizune said, bowing lightly before going off to follow the older woman out of the poker house.

"Interesting," Wansuke said as he cashed in the split second-prize winnings. "This should be enough for a DVD or two. Hmm, what to choose: Armageddon, The Island or Pearl Harbor?"

He walked away, smiling at the feeling that he'd won a moral victory, even though he blew it in an impressive fashion. After all, he had a full house in hand - but Senju Tsunade was the one to beat him with a royal flush. Also, he had to keep from laughing at the Slug Sannin's strange choice of pseudonym as he made a beeline for the video store.

And as he continued his walk, that song returned to him - the guy with the red eyes hit him with a ridiculously overpowered genjutsu. While it did do the job of slowing him down enough for him to be persuaded to join their merry group of missing-nin, there were several side effects: even now, he ended up singing random lines from those songs in the most random of occasions.

"Can't read my, can't read my, no they can't read my poker face... " he sang out in a rather impressive baritone before entering the video store, surprising most of the people on the street.

* * *

"Not this crap again," Sasuke muttered as he had to sit through another half hour of the merchant guild heads lavishing praise upon him for learning the inner workings of the Hokage's office.

He palmed his face, and the sycophants stalled in their sayings, stumbling and stuttering as Sasuke's face turned serious. I want this meeting done so I can get a team to help me clean out the Clan territory! Don't these morons know that?

"We were just saying how wonderful it is if an Uchiha would end up as Hokage," they said.

"Be that as it may," Sasuke answered, "I'm here because as my sensei's student, it is my duty to assist him. As to whether or not I'll end up as Hokage, I'd rather not think about that now - it'll happen if it'll happen."

"Our clan heads require another get-together in a few moments, Kisaragi-dono; Saito-dono - I hope you can understand me and my student's predicament."

"Of course, Hatake-sama. We shall take our leave of you now."

As soon as the door clicked shut, the sound of two palms smacking their respective faces echoed throughout the Hokage's office. "Here I thought the villagers kissing my ass was a bad thing," Sasuke said, "but this, this is something else."

The first day of Hatake Kakashi's interim Hokage work was nothing short of a disaster, because when they had found out that the village's golden boy was working as the acting Hokage's assistant... well, let's just say little work was done.

Fortunately, Hatake Kakashi, acting Hokage, was able to do several important things: the most notable of them was getting four Chunin hopefuls promoted.

For Kaburagi Aria, she was given the promotion for taking charge of her genin team in keeping out of trouble during the invasion. Shikamaru Nara got it for his deductive skill in discovering the invasion's timetable and doing a wonderful job as Team 10's adjutant leader. Alicia Testarossa and Uzumaki Naruto got theirs for taking down a rampaging Jinchuriki and for synergizing with Team 7.

Speaking of Team 7, they sadly didn't get promoted in the aborted exam (because Kakashi was acting Hokage and thus it would be a potential conflict of interest), but got the next best thing: a guaranteed promotion upon reaching the finals of the next Chunin exams.

"Look on the bright side, the Kumo-nin are leaving with a smile on their face and one of them with a Chunin vest. The swordsman will recover and will probably make Chunin along with the big guy next time they take the test, and the kunoichi got promoted. Not a bad return for a village that sent just two teams of genin, wouldn't you say, Sasuke?"

"You're probably right, sensei," Sasuke said as he took out another manila folder full of forms to be processed. "By the way, sensei, when today's work is done, I need to talk to you about something important."

"It's about the black flames, right?"

"Yes, and one other thing, sensei."

"What would that be?"

"I'll just tell you when we manage to deal with this pile of documents, sensei."

"All right, you process two-thirds of the forms," the acting Hokage said, eye twinkling.

"Whatever you say, Hokage-sama," the last Uchiha replied, sighing as he palmed his face. _So this is him getting me back for that stunt with the water bucket earlier._

* * *

It was just after Uzumaki Naruto had a hurried lunch of something imported from across the Continent called a "slider" that he found out that Jiraiya-sensei had a lead. Yes, Tsunade had been here, said the receptionist at the casino, and she went under a pseudonym. Yes, she had left quickly after nearly breaking the bank at the slot machines. And yes, she didn't look pleased at winning big.

"You tried the sliders?" Jiraiya asked just as they reached the town's outskirts and began following the road to the next resort town.

"Yeah."

"How many?"

"Just six."

"Good. Wouldn't want you slowing me down when your stomach starts doing three-and-a-half-twists." Deep inside, he was smiling at the thought of that time he and Orochimaru OD'd on soldier pills on a lark and went all over Fire Country for these sandwiches - the snake Sannin wasn't obsessed with immortality back then.

He forced these memories down - no sense living in the past.

En route to the second, the Toad Sage produced a water balloon in the midst of talking about Naruto's progress under Precia Testarossa's guidance.

"I heard from your aunt that you had the most extensive chakra control training when you just made Genin."

"Yes, yes I did. Probably because of my, uh, 'tenant'. Since I got the belt though, I've been having an easier time with chakra control." _Not to mention it makes me look totally cool._

"Good to hear. Besides that, I heard that the former ANBU got you into doing a lot of extra studies on the side."

"Yes, sir," Naruto answered. While he didn't approve of Jiraiya's "masterpieces", his Aunt Precia was of the opposite, and this had gotten them into heated debate several times. "I was gonna go for the D-rank proficiency for Seals and Sealing after my Cryptography C-rank test."

"That's pretty good. Cryptography is a good secondary field to specialize in... but Fuinjutsu isn't a field that you can be truly skilled with just by taking a proficiency test, kid."

"I know, but as my aunt keeps telling me, 'baby steps'."

"Hmm," Jiraiya said, tossing the water balloon up and down as he pondered on while they walked. "How is... what did Precia-san call it... ah, Device Training?"

"I finally got to the Floating Continent. The belt's been a great help in balancing my Device usage and my list of jutsu, charging my cartridges and constantly keeping my chakra output low so I can actually do some things I had trouble with before."

"Well then, what about if you don't have that Device and that belt?" Jiraiya asked. "You gotta be ready for anything and everything, kid."

That got Naruto thinking as they walked along the road towards the next town.

"Barring my Device, I don't have any offensive ninjutsu, Jiraiya-sensei," he said after half an hour of walking and thinking. "Haku-chan was going to give me a few E and D-rank wind jutsu in between my studying for the proficiency tests, but the chunin exam had priority."

_That woman has done a wonderful job on raising him. From what I heard, the kid totally hated reading. Sensei picked well._ "How about I teach you something?" Jiraiya said, gripping the water balloon.

"An attack jutsu?"

"More than that - it has no hand seals, which means it's not only nigh impossible to copy via the Sharingan, but you can get it up and running in no time; you need to learn only 3 steps to get it right, which means no heavy theoretical stuff that's probably over your head; and last but definitely not least, it's the Yondaime Hokage's personally-created jutsu."

"Interesting," Naruto said, trying to be nonchalant but failing as his eyes immediately went to sparkles after hearing the words 'Yondaime Hokage's personally-created jutsu'. "What is its name?"

Jiraiya chuckled as he held out his other hand, generating a swirling ball of chakra.

"He called it the 'Rasengan'," the Toad Sage said as he charged forward, obliterating a tree with the spinning ball of chakra.

Naruto's eyes sparkled even more, and a small trail of drool wound its way down a corner of his mouth. That was probably the most awe-inspiring thing he had seen in quite some time, and he was going to learn it.

"You're going to teach me that?"

"Of course. Let's start with step one," Jiraiya answered, holding out the hand with the water balloon.

* * *

Kaburagi Aria was currently admiring her Chunin vest.

"I am so gonna be wearing this when we come marching back into Kumo!" she said at the fireplace.

"Yeah, yeah," Shinta said. "Good for you."

"At least you got to put up a good show in the finals, and do a decent job when those Sound and Sand freaks ruined the party," Tatsuya said. "All I did was guard the shrimp here and get totally stoned by that Testarossa girl."

"Look on the bright side," their sensei said, emerging from their tent, "at least we're all here and in one piece, right?"

Yugito Nii's three genin nodded, and she smiled. The alterations to her memories were now being gradually removed thanks to Nibi-chan, and she was somehow glad that the Leaf jonin she battled against - and lost to - had the discretion to keep her unique status a personal secret, along with her intent to watch over the Hyuuga girl if she had managed to smuggle her to Kumo.

Konoha might have discovered her unique place in Kumo's hierarchy soon enough, but she knew that Precia-san would only give that out when asked.

Besides, Nibi-chan said, that was the most epic finish to any fight she'd seen in her long life, and she'd be doing her fellow tailed beasts a bad turn if she'd hidden the memory away.

_I wonder when I'll get to meet Precia Testarossa again, _she thought as she watched her genin talk and argue over dinner. _Hopefully soon._

* * *

That night, Hatake Kakashi the Acting Hokage and his assistant Uchiha Sasuke were unwinding after a torturous day of work.

"You were saying something about the 'black flames' you used when getting yourself free from Gaara's sand back then, right?"

"Yeah, sensei." Sasuke answered. While by all rights he should have been a little disappointed at Team 7 not being promoted, it didn't bother him at all. Besides, he knew that either all three of them would get their vests in one exam or they wouldn't - that was the way they had wanted it to be. "And something else, too."

"Something else? What about?"

"There was something really weird about my brother's jutsu," Sasuke began. "It was like... oh, there were these black hands... a lot of them... they sprung out of his eye, and were about to grab you until I shoved you away and swapped with a shadow clone."

"Hands... from his eye?"

"Yeah... and the weirder thing was... my clone got dragged into Itachi's eye by those hands! A moment later, the same hands pushed the clone out, where it dispelled... and then things began turning weird."

"You swapped with a shadow clone at the last moment, huh? Well, you remember that your mind takes in what happens to the clone, right?"

"Yeah, I remember... I saw the genjutsu used on me... but it was going very fast, like a fast-forwarded video tape..." Sasuke said, failing to conceal a grin as he remembered the ridiculously high-pitched "YOU LACK HATRED" spiel Itachi said back then. "That was what the clone's memories were, I felt my head aching, and I passed out. Sensei... you know any Sharingan jutsu that does that sort of thing?"

Five minutes of silence passed by before Kakashi replied with "...no."

"Kakashi of the Sharingan doesn't know a Sharingan-based jutsu?" Sasuke asked with disbelief before breaking out in small chuckles.

The acting Hokage downed the bowl of sake before turning to his assistant with a rather displeased look. "That's not funny."

"Yeah, well, just like Kiba told me back when he was hanging out with Mr. Uzumaki, 'if the Ninja-of-a-Thousand-Jutsus stumbles upon a jutsu even he doesn't know about, then Mr. Uzumaki is the son of a Kage'."

"Ah, irony," the acting Hokage answered as Sasuke took a sip of the white wine those merchants had given him as some sort of "peace offering".

"Anyway, I'm out on a limb here. Those eye techniques I used in the invasion... someone from the Clan has to have knowledge of them, right?"

"...Perhaps," Kakashi answered. "You can start investigating as soon as Jiraiya-sama and Mr. Uzumaki bring back Tsunade-sama."

"Of course, I still haven't signed the forms for the D-rank lifting missions. Stupid paperwork."

"Stupid paperwork indeed..."

Master and apprentice thus finished their drinks and went their separate ways.

* * *

Meanwhile, several miles away, one Uzumaki Naruto was still training, even if it was in the dreamscape.

The spirit sealed within him and the soul of his Device watched as he stumbled through the process of making the water balloon break.

"Do you think we should show him the trick to doing it?" Lass asked Kyuubi.

"No, let's not spoon-feed the boy. Let him figure it out for himself," Kyuubi answered.

"Yes, that's the best thing to do," Lass said, sighing as all the boy could do was spin the water balloon into an oblate spheroid.

* * *

Uchiha Itachi tried to sleep.

But unfortunately, that was impossible, as the sounds of his partner going at it was loud enough to hear over the cheesy saxophone music being piped through the love hotel's audio-ambiance system.

One of them was due to return to HQ any day after his little vacation in Fire Country - which he did on the organization's payroll, with the reason that training to be a poker shark (apt description, so said his partner) was a job-related expense.

The leader with the piercings accepted this after some time thinking, and had given him and Kisame some time off, too. The next step of their plans would not proceed for some time, anyway.

The rogue Uchiha cracked a grin when he thought back to the Konoha sortie with his partner: there was good news and then there was great news. Not only was Shimura Danzou already decomposed, most of the Council were likewise disposed of too. _Most likely Jiriaya's handiwork,_ he thought. _But with Sandaime-sama dead, this also means I'm officially on burn notice now. Oh well, you can't win them all._

Still, it was a good thing to see Sasuke not so consumed with rage towards him - their encounter had lasted mere moments, where he saw his little brother pull off a very quick sequence of jutsu to get his sensei out of range of the Tsukuyomi...

_...Tsukuyomi._

_...out of range._

Itachi suddenly sat bolt upright on the bed.

_...if he was able to push Kakashi-senpai out of the way and then swap with a clone before my illusion got to him, it means that..._

_...but I'm sure one of his close friends hadn't died, so how could it be possible for..._

"...Uchiha-sama...?" the girl said as she stirred awake, his sudden movement jarring her out of her sleep.

"It... it's nothing. Just a couple bad dreams," he answered.

"Nightmares?" the girl asked. She looked like one of those girls in the things he used to watch, back when he had allowed himself to become a child, and then...

"Nothing that need worry you, Aki-chan. Go back to sleep."

She sat up on the bed. "Uchiha-sama, with all due respect, you have done me a great dishonor by not availing of what is offered to you. Kisame-sama has rented this room up to the day after tomorrow."

He sighed. It must have been bad karma for him to end up with a veritable rock star for a partner. "All right, now lay back and let's get this over with."

He stuck out his tongue and thought back to everything.

_Might as well do my best at what's at hand,_ he thought. I'm sure my little brother is thinking the same thing.

_It will be a very interesting reunion in the near future, Sasuke-kun..._

The girl howled in appreciation at the rogue Uchiha's skillful technique, and he chuckled. _Maybe I should thank Deidara for showing me that trick with the tongue... maybe not._

_Oh well, I might as well do my part to keep the Uchiha line going, just in case._

For the first time in a very long while, all was well with Uchiha Itachi.

* * *

The next day saw more of the same for Naruto, as he still didn't get the first step... until out of his mind with frustration, he kicked at what he thought was a stone, missed, and ended up impaling his hand on a sea urchin as he tripped and fell.

As he pried the spiky echinoderm off of his hand, his mind went back to how Jiraiya-sensei demonstrated the balloon-busting trick.

He produced a water balloon and started to make it spin.

He looked back at the sea urchin before handing it to the stall owner.

_Eureka._

* * *

"The old blood is gone, new blood is filled, and the larger of the two fans has now burned."

"I looked forward to doing that, that sucked."

"Well, that was the only out we had then."

"Okay, so what else is new?"

"The hawk has been shot down, never to fly again."

"Now that's excellent news for all of us, right?"

"It should give everyone enough prep time for the next phase of the operation. Make sure the right people know about this at the right time."

"It shall be as you wish."

* * *

The strange thing about recent events was that Team 8 was now led by Momochi Haku - who got his Chunin vest at the same time everyone else did. While Alicia did get the promotion, she knew that the girly nin had more experience with many other aspects of ninja life, so she deferred to him. Likewise, the former Mist hunter-nin thought highly of Alicia's abilities, and had her working as his adjutant.

They had just finished another D-Rank thanks to Shino's kikai, Hinata's eyes, and Alicia's proficiency with Kage Bunshin. The bug user had once said that based on their team spars, Alicia was resembling Uzumaki Naruto more and more. The young Testarossa and Hinata just smiled and nodded at the remark.

"Kurenai-sensei had a few missions lined up after her recovery," Haku said after they handed in the requisite D-Rank mission report, "so that means we'll have to stick together for a bit longer."

"It's no problem, Momochi-san," Shino replied. "I say that this is a good thing because we adjust to changing team leaders earlier than others."

"As always, Shino-kun, you make a good point," Alicia replied. While she already had her Chunin vest, she had heard about her mother fighting a jinchuriki to a standstill, which meant the gap between mother and daughter had widened considerably. "Momochi-san, what should we do next?"

Haku sighed. Placing Alicia as adjutant was meant to make her more assertive, but she still didn't seem to get it. "Hmm, how about some training? Hinata has recovered enough for at least some light sparring and a few tips on ninjutsu."

Alicia's eyes brightened. "That's a good idea," and Hinata and Shino likewise nodded at the suggestion.

Hinata meanwhile had a few misgivings about the recent changes in the Hyuuga household. After the clan had suffered significant losses in the invasion, her father had made a landmark proclamation about any and all Branch Family members below a certain age would not be marked with the Caged Bird Seal anymore, and that he was reading into a seal that would keep their bloodline safe - and that everyone, Main or Branch, would wear.

She sighed as she thought of her family. _It took all this happening just for my father to see just what's going on. Were we played by the Elders? The Council? Hokage-sama himself? It doesn't matter now, as if we don't keep up, the Hyuuga Clan will be done for._

Meanwhile, Haku was smiling at the slow progress their team was making. _Now we're getting somewhere. Maybe I can test for their elemental affinities after this training session. Kurenai-sensei did tell me that she had planned on doing that after the exams, if not for those two missing-nin dropping by..._

"Training Ground 19 is free," Hatake-sama said. "Oh yeah, you guys mind doing a little brute-force D-Rank? I heard that only the Uzumaki beats out Alicia here in a Shadow Clone-making contest."

Alicia blushed slightly at the compliment. "Of course, Hokage-sama."

"How soon do you want it done, Hokage-sama?" Haku asked.

"Oh, there's no rush. The client," Kakashi said, glancing over at his assistant Sasuke, who was currently doing bookkeeping work, "insisted on supervising the mission firsthand. Expect it to come by when Jiraiya-sama and Naruto-kun return."

"Is that all, Hokage-sama?"

Kakashi smiled. "Of course. You are dismissed."

After the door had shut, the Uchiha could swear he could see a drop of sweat on the side of the acting Hokage's head. "What's wrong, sensei?"

"No wonder people keep thinking Haku is a kunoichi."

"Heh heh heh. He actually got most of us (and nearly everyone else) in the Rookie 12 believing that."

"He even fooled me."

"Well, the good thing about it is that the Yamanaka girl seems to be stalking him now. One less burden off my shoulder."

"That's good. Wouldn't want her dad to mind-wipe you after he finds out you pinched her butt to try and cure her of fangirl sickness."

"I did NOT!" Sasuke replied indignantly as he shut the filing cabinet drawer a little too forcefully.

"Yeah, but it did work with Sakura, right?"

Sasuke nodded.

"I'll let that one slide just 'cause she's a teammate. Don't want the town to know you randomly do the kunoichi grab-ass thing."

"The point is, I don't..."

"Yes, you don't, but my point is, the rumor mill will probably end up warping it to that story, or worse," Kakashi explained while stamping more forms. "Remember, you're a junior Clan Head now, which means that while before, you're under the scrutiny of a magnifying glass most of the time, this time you're under a microscope."

"Crap."

"Hey, look on the bright side. At least you have all this business to worry about so you won't go and leave just to hunt your brother down."

Normally, the mention of the name would enrage him thoroughly, but after everything that had happened, it barely had an effect on the last Uchiha. "Speaking of my brother, something seemed off."

"What was?"

"Tell you when Mr. Uzumaki and Jiraiya-sama bring back the Senju. Can't put it into good enough words yet."

"All right, Sasuke, take your time. Let's finish off this pile of documents first."

"Bureaucracy! A Hokage and his assistant's nemesis..." Sasuke said, and they laughed before going back to their work.

* * *

If there was one thing Uzumaki Naruto loved more than ramen, it was doing something so out-of-this-world it resulted in people sporting gobsmacked expressions on their faces.

Just like Jiraiya when he saw Naruto's water balloon spike from all directions before bursting.

"Pretty cool, eh, Jiraiya-sensei?" Naruto said with a rather satisfied smirk on his face.

"Not bad, kid, but that's just step one. Try to do this," Jiraiya answered, producing a rubber ball and then blowing it up with nothing more than chakra.

**"WHOA!"** Naruto exclaimed as the Toad Sage tossed a small box of rubber balls to his erstwhile student.

"Come on, let's go. We'll make it to the next town by nightfall if we leave as soon as possible."

"You seem to be in such a hurry, sensei," Naruto said.

"Well, I just heard that the one we're looking for is currently at the next town over. You can try and blow the rubber ball up while we're getting there. Time's of the essence."

Naruto nodded, picked up his backpack and followed his sensei out of the hotel. They hit the road as soon as the Toad Sage paid for their stay for the night and a tip for giving them the suite.

As they walked the road leading to their next destination, Naruto spent the journey trying to get that damned rubber ball to explode, but only managed popping holes in the ball. _Why is it so damned difficult?_ he asked himself.

**_You're pouring too much, too quickly,_** the voice of Kyuubi echoed in his head.

**_Precisely, Meister. Do it gradually. Force it and risk burning out your hands' chakra system._**

_Fine, fine..._

Thus the Toad Sage and his student blazed a trail of deflated rubber balls towards the next town over, where they hoped the person they were seeking would remain...

Chapter 21 - **END**

a/n: I find calling Naruto "kid" as opposed to "brat" is more natural and makes Naruto less likely to go off on a tantrum.

And the whole 'Mr. Uzumaki is the son of a Kage' is a sort-of meme between the Konoha Ninja Academy Sentai Squad and their classmates. It's like using the phrase "when hell freezes over!" in conversation.

Cookie to who gets the meaning of Deidara's poker-player pseudonym.

EvilManicX: Teepo's weakness doesn't stem from a lack of strength, it is because his Brood powers have only recently been returned to him. He did back the wrong horse versus Ryu, right? I didn't want Alicia to summon a world-destroyer right off the bat, hence this: and no, I'm not putting any Dragonflights into this story. The Brood and the Dragon Tribe are one and the same.

Naruto also doesn't call Jiraiya "ero-Sensei" or "ero-Sennin" because not only has etiquette been drilled into him by Precia, she's also a fan of his work.


	22. Shades of Gray, Part 1 of 2

_disclaimer: _none of this is mine. naruto = kishimoto masashi; nanoha = seven arcs; grand chase = kog

Before we begin, I'd like to add that a crucial plot point here is based on Mrriddler's well-done _"Genius of Konoha"_, with the concept inevitably twisted and mangled towards something vaguely recognizable.

With that out of the way, here's Chapter 22.

* * *

_Everything felt like it happened a lifetime ago. What I wanted was acknowledgment. What I received was a family._

_Has the pain of loss brought you down to the point where you don't want to fight for others anymore?_

_Maybe this is the same pain as I've had to endure._

_Please believe in the future, so you can protect it with your own two hands once more.  
_

_Naruto: Arcane Heart will now begin._

* * *

_**Naruto: Arcane Heart**_

**Chapter 22: Shades of Gray, Part 1**

Half a day had passed since the dynamic duo of Jiraiya the Toad Sage and Uzumaki Naruto arrived at yet another resort and casino town. Unlike before, the older man wasn't too keen on leaving.

"Remind me again why we have to stick around in this place, Jiraiya-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Based on the last few towns we've been in - and on how my old teammate behaves, she'll be wandering here within three days at most. You can take the time in between to work on the Rasengan."

He said all this with a knowing smirk on his face, which slightly irritated both the boy and the fox living inside him.

_I think he knows. Damn it._

_Knows what? _asked Naruto.

_When you're done with the Rasengan, feel free to ask him. Meanwhile, despite the constant chakra drain of that cartridge-charging belt of yours and all the exercises you've been doing, we still need that extra bit of control for you to be able not only to do, but to perfect, the Rasengan. And for us to do that, well..._

Kyuubi's train of thought was interrupted as Naruto took a stray look at a sign in a nearby conference hall, and did a perfect double-take as he read the sign in detail. "Fire Country 3rd Annual Lolita Fashion Convention", it said.

The fox took in this detail, and grinned widely.

He now had the perfect training tool to get Naruto's chakra control up to levels even the boy wouldn't believe, because it was just recently that the fox - due to his "dream link" with the Testarossas - saw that movie with the "wax on, wax off" technique.

Besides, any contract had its loopholes, and the fox was chafing at the bit to try and circumvent them - he was just exercising his vulpine nature in doing so, anyway.

* * *

Later that day Jiraiya was absolutely gobsmacked at seeing his ward being escorted out of a nearby conference hall by several good-looking and exquisitely-dressed women.

After he picked his jaw up from the floor, he followed the group from one clothing store to another, only for his imagination to go into absolute overdrive when the group went to the hot springs.

He would only wake up much later, lying on a bed in a nearby clinic, and wearing the biggest shit-eating grin the clinic staff had ever seen.

After he had been discharged, the unfortunate Jiraiya saw something that surpassed what he had just seen several hours ago.

Uzumaki Naruto left the hot springs with an even larger group of good-looking and exquisitely-dressed women fawning over him.

The boy took several steps forward, turned around, clasped his hands together, and bowed most politely, thanking them for teaching him what he needed to know.

Jiraiya's mind went far ahead of what was normally possible, leading to a jet of blood rushing out of each nostril like a fire hose.

_First Minato and now his kid, _he thought. _Those two will be the death of me yet._

It need not be said that he ended up in the same bed, in the same clinic, with an even wider grin - except this time, he was hooked up to several pints of Type O positive.

* * *

After making the acquaintance of those very nice ladies (and not noticing his sensei passed out on the street and about to drown in his own nasally-expelled blood), Uzumaki Naruto took on an alternate tack in taking up the second step of the Rasengan.

After walking around the resort town for a bit, he found the perfect spot: a rent-a-party-house with a swimming pool. Naruto being Naruto, he had initally offered the rent-a-party-house owner to clean it - in exchange for him using the pool for a day or several - which the owner enthusiastically agreed to.

So in between Jiraiya recovering from his sight (which was definitely not what he had in mind), Naruto - keeping in mind the scheme the Fox had cooked up - began the grueling part of his training regimen.

In between the transaction and his preparations for his special training, Naruto was having a little conversation with a certain fox.

"Listen, kid. Your chakra control is far beyond any of your contemporaries - because of me being sealed in you - but it is still not enough for you to use that technique the way you saw it."

"Wait a minute, how do YOU know how to get the Rasengan to work?"

"You did read that kitsune are supposed to have the powers of infinite vision, right? Given what I am..." the Kyuubi said, grinning.

"Alright... wait a minute. Aunt Precia said she was doing a little research on Konoha's own jutsu... you mean YOU were able to see it?"

"See it AND take notes. Theoretically, I could create one and thus take over Jiraiya in teaching it to you at any time, but I don't want to risk you being dependent on me. You have to learn the tricks to mastering the Rasengan ON YOUR OWN."

"Fine," a deflated Naruto said. "So why'd you have me ask those nice ladies for help?"

"Because I've seen your Sexy Jutsu, and well, it sucks balls."

"Okay, two questions: one, why does my Sexy Jutsu suck; and two, how will perfecting the Sexy Jutsu help me greatly in mastering the Rasengan?"

"I'll answer your questions; but first, let me see you use the Sexy Technique."

"All right," Naruto said, doing the seals and erupting into his feminine alter ego in a puff of smoke.

The Nine-Tailed Fox looked intently at the transformation before nodding. "Okay, you can dispel it now."

After doing so, Naruto was overjoyed to hear that he had indeed stumbled upon the first steps of an even more powerful transformation technique.

"First things first, the reason I'm able to impart this knowledge is because of the upgraded seal. Without the aid of my memories, not only would I be a mindless engine of destruction, but the only help I would (reluctantly) give you would be my demonic chakra. And now, thanks to the seal, you now know that a refined variant of your Sexy Technique is the first of the Sage Arts taught by the Spirit Foxes - and their preferred chakra control exercise. Do the Sexy Technique - but this time, add a few clothes."

Naruto nodded in acknowledgment as he set his hands into the seals. He did it successfully, but the fox shook his head in disappointment. "Dispel and do it again."

After several retries and dispels, Naruto finally asked, "what's wrong with my technique?"

"Here's the low-down: your clothes don't act like real clothes should, you obviously haven't seen ALL of a real (human) woman, hence you can't henge a piece of silk underwear work a damn and have to use smoke or thick cloth; and last, you run through a limited wardrobe when changing clothes - mostly from your kunoichi acquaintances."

"Limited wardrobe?"

"Yeah. And because of the time you spent with those Elegant Gothic Lolita cosplayers from Kiri, I now have the details to teach you the perfect Sexy Technique."

"You mean..."

"Remember that boring lecture about genjutsu?"

"I remember," Naruto said, his memory going back to that hour-and-a-half-long Academy seminar/borefest that only he (thanks to the fox) was able to endure completely. "About how genjutsu is usually sneaking your chakra into your opponent's senses, right?"

"Excellently put, kid. The perfect Sexy Technique is NOT a pure genjutsu, it's more of a hybrid of genjutsu AND ninjutsu because you don't actually manipulate your target's sense of sight; you simply change your appearance. Let's not forget the shape transformation aspect, too."

"Shape?"

"That's right. Get this, the Rasengan will be much easier to learn. Oh, and did you pay attention when the girls started going on their skinship rituals like I said?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Good," Kyuubi replied, nodding. "You're not a kid anymore, we don't have room for prudery. The perfect Sexy Technique requires you to not only be detail-oriented, but also fashion-coordinated."

"Why do I have to learn fashion again?"

The fox clicked his jaws. "What's the use of a perfect transformation technique if you'll end up choosing clothes that make you stand out like a sore thumb?"

"...didn't think of it that way."

"Come on, I want to see you do a halfway-decent qipao."

"A what?"

"This is gonna be a long night..."

* * *

Jiraiya the Toad Sage thought he'd be able to leave the clinic after a night's sleep.

He took a day and a half.

To the Sannin's dismay, nothing untoward happened during his convalescence, be it an invasion, a kidnapping attempt, or a nurse who wanted to get frisky, so he took as much time as he could to recover - he wasn't getting any younger, and he had to find even a halfway decent means to manage his ecchi tendencies. Writing porn just didn't cut it these days, although he was making steady progress in making his own characters, instead of using pastiches of people he had known.

Just before he checked out, the nurse (rather plain-looking, but excellent proportions) handed him a note. Opening it, he read Naruto's handwriting: "When you read this, sensei, please summon Gamakichi. He'll guide you to the place I rented out."

After using Kuchiyose to call upon the son of Gamabunta, Jiraiya meandered through the suddenly-larger crowd on account of today's festivities, and ended up in a rental cottage: the kind families or groups of friends rent out for weekends of swimming, eating, portable karaoke machines and possibly a little not-safe-for-work action.

The first thing he saw was the pool.

The second thing was Uzumaki Naruto doing his taijutsu and kenjutsu forms on the water's surface - while wearing a wardrobe from a long-vanished era historians argued over whether it was named after a certain queen or princess.

He nodded appreciatively as the dark blue wearing genin danced on top of the swimming pool, executing short stabs, blocks, circular parries and counterattacks that had the rhythm of a dance. The former ANBU sparring with him and helping his taijutsu forms paid off, the Toad Sage thought. How'd he afford those clothes, though? And doesn't he know that they need to be dry-cleaned?

After several more minutes, Naruto had finally finished his katas and walked off the pool. "Good morning, sensei," he said, acknowledging Jiraiya's presence.

"You've gone a long way, kid," Jiraiya said. "I was about to give you a few hints, since you looked a bit stuck on the second step."

"I want to do as much as I can on my own before looking to others for assistance. Speaking of which, got one of those rubber balls?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya answered the boy by wordlessly tossing him a small rubber ball from his stash.

Uzumaki Naruto grinned that foxy grin of his as he caught the ball with one hand, held it out at waist level, and promptly blew it into bits.

"Pop goes step two," he quipped.

_This kid doesn't know how good he is, _Jiraiya thought as he fished around in his pocket for the storage scroll with the balloons inside. "Okay, here's the final step."

* * *

Back in Konoha, Precia Testarossa had some extremely sobering thoughts regarding her daughter Alicia, and her sister (due to Alicia's insistence on calling her that) Fate.

Fate was meant to be a note-for-note copy of Alicia - and when she had seen Fate's skill as a rapid-assault combat mage, she had hoped that Alicia would be the same if there was a chance that she could bring her daughter back.

Precia was wrong: Alicia's skills as a ninja and mage seemed to grow as fast (if not faster).

Teaching her the Kuchiyose no Jutsu had given her the means to exercise and enlarge the girl's chakra reserves so much, it was rather frightening. What had been the previous "safe" limit of one hundred Kage Bunshin for Alicia had now been raised to 150 last week, and now 175.

Alicia's potential shone even further when Precia finished putting together a fighting system that had the grace of the Jyuken, the power of Gouken and the speed Precia had always emphasized as a mage. It wasn't an exact stance-for-stance copy of the Hyuuga style of combat, or for that matter the style Guy and Lee preferred to use - it was more of assimilating their combat philosophy. For example, Hyuuga Neji and Hyuuga Hinata were both accomplished practitioners of the Jyuken. Neji was the one you wanted to emulate if you had a pragmatic approach to combat; while Hinata's personal combat style had the elegance of a dance. On the other hand, Guy and Lee had a more straightforward philosophy when it came to fighting: hit the sucker 'till he goes down - if he hasn't, you're not hitting him hard enough.

Even Precia didn't notice her stances reflecting Gouken's core philosophies until she noticed it while sparring with her daughter with Devices; and goodness knows how many sparring sessions Alicia had with Hinata - all it took was a little integrating their movements, and Alicia would have something that had the qualities of all three styles but whose sum total was her own way of fighting.

Put that together, plus the little desperation that pulsed through Konoha in the lull between the search for the next Hokage, and you get a freshly-promoted Chunin who could take the Jonin exam at any time - and pass.

Not to mention that ever since getting the vest, Alicia had been taking extra effort in filling the gaps of her skill set, incorporating Precia's own style into her Device usage. Mornings were katas with Siegfried; midmornings and afternoons were D-Ranks with her team now that Kurenai-sensei was released from the hospital; after dinner and a little rest, a little talk with her mother, and after that onto bed and maybe a little Visualization Training to keep sharp.

Precia couldn't help but worry about her daughter burning out with this schedule as she oversaw Alicia taking up support duty in the team spar: it was Team 8 vs. Team 10, and the Ino-Shika-Cho tandem was at a disadvantage.

The last time around, Alicia had asked - no, insisted - on gauntlet matches, where if one team member could not go on, a member of the opposite team would hang back, to keep the numbers even.

It need not be said that Alicia found herself being triple-teamed. She nearly carried the day for Team 8 by herself, but there wasn't enough gas left in the tank, so to speak.

Now, Alicia was still running support, but she figured out the lesson that Kurenai-sensei and her mother wanted her to learn: ninja never fight fair. Combat mages might, but ninja?

After several more exchanges, it was down to Alicia versus Chouji. She didn't mean to drop the taboo word, but he seemed intent on subconsciously finding it in whatever anyone near him said.

So now here was Alicia Testarossa, hedged into a corner, with a giant spiked ball of muscle barreling down toward her.

_Ninja never fight fair, eh? _she thought. _I'm sure Chouji-san will like this._

Siegfried blinked twice, accepting her unspoken command.

Moments before Chouji hit, she slammed the glaive onto the ground hard.

Spikes of purple energy lanced out from the ground, juggling the giant spiked ball that was Chouji several times before dissipating.

The spiked ball hit the ground hard, and several moments passed before Chouji's Nikudan Sensha dispersed - Siegfried's acknowledgment served as the end-of-spar signal.

_**"Lodestar Chaser."**_

"Looks like Team 8 wins this one," Precia said, looking over proudly as her daughter made her way towards her downed opponent.

"You okay, Chouji-san?" Alicia asked, helping the Akimichi up.

"Yeah... that was a great match! Looking forward to our next spar, Alicia-san."

When Chouji had finished standing up, he saw Alicia bow to him. "I apologize for what I said earlier, I should have realized it."

"Oh no, it's nothing," Chouji answered. "It's just a spur-of-the-moment thing. Besides, Asuma-sensei keeps telling me not to be too sensitive about my looks."

Both teams had converged to where Alicia and Chouji were exchanging end-of-spar pleasantries. "Of course," Aburame Shino said. "You still have to go through your growth spurt. When it does, the extra bulk you have will be an even greater asset."

"Eh, that's not such a big deal," Chouji said. "Right, Shika?"

"Sure, sure," Shikamaru answered.

"Still, this has been a very good way to keep ourselves improving. I heard the acting Hokage-sama had a few plans to periodically rotate the genin teams to work on our individual and inter-team skills," Shino added.

"That's gonna be troublesome. Teaming up with you guys won't be that much, but..." Shikamaru swung his head a bit over to where Ino was engaged in a whispered conference with Hinata. "...you probably know what those two are talking about."

"The one who stood in for me during the day-and-a-half I was in the hospital?" Kurenai-sensei asked, her eyes twinkling.

"I can't really put my finger around on how Momochi-san can make a very convincing girl. The... uh... flexibility is uncanny," Asuma said in response.

Alicia grinned a bit before saying, "just think of it this way - in our world, there are three genders: male, female, and the ones like Haku-chan."

Everyone shuddered at the thought, remembered one of Haku's civilian outfits that was basically a pastel pink yukata, and shuddered some more.

At the same time, someone working at the Konoha General Hospital suddenly let forth a massive sneeze, as if a lot of people had thought about him simultaneously.

* * *

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, a raccoon's head popped out of a gourd.

"How'd taijutsu training go?"

"It went... well. I am not used to exerting myself, though."

"You'll get there, just keep up the pace. The stronger you get physically, the more of my powers you get to be able to use."

"Of course... Shukaku."

* * *

Once more in Konoha, Hatake Kakashi the acting Hokage had stumbled upon a plot that almost made him pick up his team and get the hell out of Konoha. It took him several long minutes of thinking over the implications one simple sentence had on all the village events.

It took him longer to think through the reasons why the players in this sick, sad little game made their moves. Sandaime-sama and his team had motives that were plain as day, and so was Danzou the warmonger. But what of everyone else?

_If I get to stay as Hokage, what motivations would I have in situations like this? Other than making sure what happened to us - Sensei, Obito, Rin and myself - wouldn't happen again, but that's just the dreams of a fool speaking..._

...the thoughts and worries had become almost unbearable. Paperwork seemed like a pastime.

He finished the glass of water, summoned his able assistant Uchiha Sasuke and started to get to work.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto grunted in frustration.

He had Knight Armor on, loaded several cartridges to improve his speed and skill with the double daggers, and this... this drunken old woman still read his approach and preemptively knocked him back a significant distance away with a simple flick to the forehead.

And this was after she'd disparagingly referred to the office of Hokage as a load of crap.

_Does this mean she regards her family's achievements as insignificant?_

Deep down inside, he knew both the Kyuubi and Reynard were disappointed in the way he had dealt with it: once someone had pushed his buttons, he'd lash out instantly.

_Doesn't the boy know the point of all the water workouts, the former ANBU training, the lessons Precia had been teaching him? He says he tries his best to look "underneath the underneath", but say something against what's precious to him and he goes and flips out, just like that._

_Now that he's seen this woman's power, he'll probably respect her words..._

_...or not._

Naruto gritted his teeth as he dispelled his armor and began molding chakra into a swirling ball with both hands.

The blonde woman's eyes widened at what this boy was attempting.

"You're teaching this brat the Rasengan?" she snarled indignantly at Jiraiya, who was now standing beside a rather plain-looking brunette he pegged to be this Senju Tsunade's assistant.

"Hey! Old lady! Your opponent is over here!" Naruto yelled as he felt that twinge when he could pour no more power into the technique before outright disrupting it.

"Even with that, you still can't beat-"

He charged in screaming, aiming to shove the swirling ball hovering on top of his right palm into an arm, a leg, the face, the torso, anything. Anywhere, just to show that he wouldn't let this slight to Old Man Hokage's memory go unpunished.

Sadly, it was all in vain as the woman he had perceived as a mere grouchy drunkard sidestepped at the last moment, slapped his right arm downward, causing the incomplete Rasengan to carve a spiral crater in the ground, and then gave him a chakra-powered slap that caused him to spin several times in the air before crashing to the ground in a heap.

"Ugh..." was all Naruto could say before willing himself to get back up.

_If Precia-san was here, she'd literally castrate me,_ Jiraiya thought in horror. Then again, the night had started off bad and went downhill even faster: they had found Tsunade three days into their stay in this town and decided to drop by as she was having dinner with her assistant Shizune.

Naruto had come along, wanting to see who the person judged as best to take on the mantle of Hokage... and snorted in disapproval when he saw the blonde woman drink sake like a fish.

And now, he was slowly getting up, still staring defiantly at the woman who was now stalking closer to him.

"This isn't gonna end well," Jiraiya muttered to no one, readying himself to intervene should this business go out of hand.

"You may be the next best person to be taught that technique, but I'm sure you won't be able to master it," Tsunade finally said.

"I SO will be able to master it! Give me three days and I'll give you a completed Rasengan, how about that?"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

She saw something... familiar in the boy's defiant gaze and her eyes softened... somewhat.

"If you do..." she said rather softly before producing a necklace, "I'll give you this. But if you don't, I'm taking all the money you have on your person."

She narrowed her eyes and grinned rather evilly - Tsunade had gone back to the "grumpy-old-woman persona".

"Deal. Also, if I win, you return to the Village."

"Fair enough. It's not like you could do it in three days anyway."

Naruto grunted, while Jiraiya facepalmed and Shizune giggled nervously.

* * *

"Sir, we have new developments."

"Really? Please, do tell."

"It seems Uzumaki Naruto is traveling with Jiraiya."

"Excellent. Two birds with one stone."

"Sir, I have my doubts. Do you think we'll be able to get her cooperation?"

"With my technique? I could. Well, let us be going. We have unfinished business to take care of."

"Understood, sir."

* * *

Deep within the mindscape, the Nine-Tailed Fox decided to hang back for the meantime. If Reynard would give him visualization training, he'd accompany the boy. That was the extent of the help he'd give until the boy made good on his little gambit.

_Do this on your own power, kid, _the fox thought. _Prove to me you have what it takes to fulfill your dreams without Reynard and/or my help..._

* * *

"It's been a long and sad life for Tsunade-sama," Shizune began. The dawn of "Master the Rasengan! Day 1 of 3" brought a rather enlightening conversation between Naruto and Tsunade's assistant.

"Not only has Tsunade-sama have had to live with the expectations that come with being the granddaughter of the Shodai Hokage," the brunette continued, "but her life has seen more than its fair share of tragedy, Naruto-kun. That necklace has seen a lot of death."

"Everybody dies," Naruto replied.

"Everyone who isn't Tsunade who's worn this necklace has died, please understand."

"A lot of people I've come to get close to have also died. You don't see me drinking and gambling away my problems because of that," Naruto replied. "It's not that I don't understand, but... I don't know, it's like how 'smart people can do really dumb things', that sort of deal."

Shizune smiled. "Anyway, how would you like it if I accompany you as you train perfecting the Rasengan?"

"You would?"

"Of course, Tsunade-sama can take care of herself. Jiraiya-sama's with her, too." _Don't want to tell him that I was asked to keep an eye on him..._

"I would be honored with your company. Thank you," Naruto said. _She's probably planted. Anyway, she might give me a little help in winning this little bet, all for a necklace and a Hokage._

He smiled back at her before they finished breakfast and headed for the outskirts of town to start training.

* * *

"So he really did do it?"

He nodded.

"Just as I thought, he really is a fool."

"He may have done many foolish things, but he did one thing right: he didn't leave the biggest of his mistakes for us to pick up after."

"No, he didn't. He left a lot of big ones."

"What would you expect from him, then? Even he couldn't have taken care of just how bad a shithole Konoha ended up as. He did his best. I did my best. What about you? Going around town, gambling, drinking, trying to forget..."

"...I didn't forget anything."

"You do realize that if you don't take this job, we're gonna have an SS-rank emergency waiting to happen back home?"

She gasped. "Dear kamis in heaven... no."

"Damn right. You've not only put Naruto, but also Konoha, in a rather tight spot. Dan and Nawaki, wherever they are, are rather disappointed in you, I can guess," he said, shrugging. "It's not that bad right now, but given my sources, it's going to get really ugly, really fast."

"So it looks like I have no choice in this matter, eh?"

"Looks like it. Don't worry, I'll walk you through the trickier parts. They don't call me 'gallant' for nothing, you know."

They shrugged and shared another bowl of sake - two former teammates, reminiscing.

Chapter 22 - **END**

**a/n: **Most sharp readers can see what will be coming a mile away. Next time on Naruto: Arcane Heart - everyone's favorite duo will make a comeback, huge summons will come into play, things get excessively personal, techniques will be perfected, and a new Hokage will come striding into Konoha. (Maybe a little Naruto/Shizune ship tease, because I'm evil like that.)

Other things will be understood if you read through the lines carefully. References within references, underneath the underneath, you know the drill. If you can read between the lines well, you will probably have a good idea what will be coming next, and what's happening behind the scenes.

Much thanks to Szaphyr for helping out with the German translations for Reynard/Lass' attacks. Again, you must play Grand Chase. It's different.

The "male, female, and the ones like Haku-chan" is a not-so-subtle nod to "Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu" - because Hideyoshi is delicious like that.

Thanks for the 17k views (and counting), and PLEASE REVIEW! Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

_p.s. _Terumi Mei was one of the women in the "Elegant Gothic Lolita" group who fawned over Naruto. Take that as you will. I don't know whether this will play a large part in the future, but it IS reasonable to assume someone like Mei would be interested in dressing up in that manner.

If ever you leave a lengthy and detailed review, drop by my user profile to find a link to the forums - I'll post my replies there, ok?


	23. Shades of Gray, Part 2 of 2

_disclaimer:_ naruto = kishimoto; nanoha = seven arcs; grand chase = kog.

_foreword:_ I can probably take bad reviews better than most. What I really don't like are whiny reviews where all you hear are **"I DON'T LIKE THIS AND THAT, you fail at writing"**.

_"X or Y wasn't too good, how about you write a few lines showing how x and y happened"_ added to the review would probably do a better job, scathing comments notwithstanding. If you really want to see your favorite author improve, help.

tl;dr: if you don't like how a fic goes, volunteer to beta-read it. None of these chapters have the benefit of one.

**AND GO READ THIS FIC'S DAMN FORUM TOO, WHILE YOU'RE AT IT!**

'sides, this is the chapter where most of everything starts to go haywire. sort of.

Again...

_This type of text is for thoughts._

**This type of text is for exclamation.**

_**This type of text is either Kyuubi or a Device talking.**_

All right, with that out of the way, here's the end of the Tsunade arc. After this it's no-holds-barred now. Read on and enjoy.

* * *

_Everything felt like it happened a lifetime ago. What I wanted was acknowledgment. What I received was a family._

_When you've fought your hardest, when you've done more than what is expected of you..._

_When you're staring at oblivion face to face, only a true man would strut proudly and charge headlong into it.  
_

_Naruto: Arcane Heart will now begin._

* * *

_**Naruto: Arcane Heart**_

**Chapter 23: Shades of Gray, Part 2**

It was the second day of "Project: Master the Rasengan!" when everything started to come apart.

Strangely, this was also the day that everything started to come together, for everything that had happened to have some sort or some semblance of meaning.

For this day and the next, it was the day that Uzumaki Naruto saw himself as a child no longer. He would still smile, goof off a little, maybe make the occasional joke, but those close to him would see that there was something in his eyes that was... gone, and would never return.

These two days were when the bearer of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox would lose his innocence of the world.

* * *

The night before, Hatake Kakashi - acting Hokage - was enjoying a night out with some of his ANBU colleagues.

He and his intrepid assistant Uchiha Sasuke had dispensed with the day's business with startling ease after finding out the news: Senju Tsunade had been found after a week of travel, and their group would return within a week plus a few extra days.

Many people thought their acting Hokage had lost all his marbles becase when upon receiving the news, Kakashi flipped out in epic fashion.

He simply cast Kage Bunshin and joined his clones in a very well-choreographed dance routine that had his assistant and audience gaping.

Not only was it an eye-opener that Kakashi-sensei was a great dancer, he had also come to dislike the tedious job that was being Hokage. _All that paperwork... and it's gonna end, so back to training and missions! Yay!_

What was also rather neat was that he did it in front of the new Ninja Council. The clan heads applauded at his performance, shrugged in token disapproval, and shuddered at the effect of the job on one's sanity. If Hatake Kakashi - master of a thousand jutsus, former ANBU captain and accomplished jonin of the Leaf - broke out in dance when he found out he only had ten days tops until Sandaime-sama's successor arrived, what would they do if they had been in his place?

(And as a side note, one of the civilian officials - who wished to remain anonymous, upon being interviewed, described the acting Hokage's dance move as "the freshest move I've ever seen - it was like he was floating on air".)

The strange result was that the meeting went much better than everyone had expected - business as usual in Konoha, rebuilding and restrengthening their forces were top priority.

_If only they knew, _Kakashi thought right after his little dance number finished. _If only you knew the sort of evil a Hokage is required to do in the line of duty. Makes the worst of my ANBU days look like taking candy from a baby._

"Er, Kakashi-senpai," Uzuki Yuugao said, breaking the Copy-Nin out of his reverie.

"Oh, so sorry. Kinda zoned out there for a moment," Kakashi sheepishly replied, scratching the back of his head. "What were you asking again, Yuugao-san?"

"Might I ask you what the Uchiha is doing?"

"Don't worry about him, he's fixing up his home. They just finished repairs on an apartment overlooking the Uchiha grounds, and he's renting there for the time being until he can personally oversee the clearing."

Gekkou Hayate coughed. "That's good to hear. Anyway, I'm sure you wouldn't mind doing Yuugao-chan and I a rather personal favor, would you?"

Kakashi shrugged. "I don't know, Hayate. I'll need a few details first. You know how it goes."

Hayate nodded. "Well, y'see, I'm sure you know about that other guy from Cloud - the guy they sent in to scout the place for the exam Finals?"

"What about him? I already know most of the details."

"Not this one," Hayate replied. "I was actually supposed to be the one there."

"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked, lone eye popping open. "You saw the whole thing?"

"Chakra flaring," Hayate answered. "I was a distance away when it happened. If I hadn't stopped by that shop, you wouldn't see me sitting here now."

"Okay..." Kakashi said. "What does this near-death experience have to do with your request?"

"Well, senpai... I was just wondering if you'd let me drop off, take up more of the domestic missions. Something like teaching kenjutsu at the Academy, you've been saying that weapon and sword specialists have been growing rarer and rarer..."

"I'm also putting in my resignation from ANBU," Yuugao replied quietly, with Hayate holding his significant other's hand not escaping the acting Hokage's eye. "After everything that's happened recently..."

Kakashi's eye twinkled. Such a simple request would of course be approved. "Of course. I'll get the paperwork processed for Godaime-sama to sign on her first day here."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," both of them replied.

"...and I'll put in a blank marriage license too, while I'm at it," he whispered. He sighed - he would have preferred they call him Kakashi-senpai, but all he had to do was just deal with it for slightly more than a week. And then, it would be back to the usual business.

He shrugged, bowed lightly, and began regaling his associates with day-to-day accounts of life at the Hokage's office.

* * *

"So... you've come."

"Indeed I have, princess Tsunade..." a sinister voice hissed from the alleyway. "And I'm not here to - how shall you say it - cash in on old debts, so to speak."

The slug Sannin narrowed her eyebrows at a spot behind her former associate, only for a silver-haired young man wearing glasses to step forward.

"My assistant, Kabuto..." Orochimaru said.

"It is an honor to meet you, Senju Tsunade," Kabuto said, bowing respectfully.

"Now that we're done with the basics, answer me this: what the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm in a tight spot. More specifically, our beloved sensei has put me in a VERY tight spot."

"Last I heard he pulled an arm out of you with Shiki Fuuin. And that was after you got my grandfather AND granduncle to do YOUR dirty work. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't punt you and that smug-ass henchman of yours all the way to Iwa," she said, getting her hands ready to do so.

"Sadly, I had my little information network divert what had really happened with exaggerations and even blatant lies," Orochimaru hissed. "After all, one has... to keep up... appearances..."

Tsunade's eyes widened at that. "Appearances? Just what are you getting at?"

"I'm sure you've heard the news about the fight that Kumo and Konoha actually agreed to keep under wraps..." Orochimaru replied, "all under the table."

"Stop beating around the bush, Orochimaru," Tsunade said. "The more you keep this up, the sooner I get to start hitting you. In the face."

"Be patient, former teammate... as I think you, out of the three Sannin, have been kept in the dark about most of what's going on right now..."

* * *

Shizune marveled at what she saw when she volunteered to oversee Naruto's training.

The boy was not only henge'd into a very intricate set of clothes, he was also doing weapon drills on top of a swimming pool.

There were blocks, parries, circular blocks and returned attacks that grew more and more intricate the longer he went - and all this time, not a drop of water got onto his clothes.

It was after he had gotten into a flurry of thrusts and slashes that he decided that that was it for the day, and dispelled both his henge and the chakra on his feet... and splashed into the pool.

"I think I'm getting the hang of it!" Naruto exclaimed as his head popped out of the pool. "Hey Shizune-neechan, you should take a dip too. It's excellent in this weather."

While the pool did look attractive to splash around in, she wasn't here for that. "Maybe another time, Naruto-kun," she answered. "How about we get lunch when you finish your swim? My treat."

Naruto grinned before going back for a lap around the pool. _Good thing there's no ramen here, _he thought. _And maybe when I get back to Konoha I'll figure out a way to get neechan into a swimming pool._

* * *

"Jiraiya. We need to talk. Now."

The object of Tsunade's statement was currently at one of the bars, and winding down a rather tedious afternoon of 'research' (read: trolling the bath houses for cute women to spy on), consolidating his 'research notes' (read: writing his novel) and 'keeping a watchful eye on Naruto' (read: hoping he would man up and toss Tsunade's assistant into the pool). The toad Sannin looked sideways to find his former teammate looking rather annoyed, shrugged, and went back to sipping his sake.

She took up a stool at the bar next to her former teammate and ordered a bottle of sake for herself. "I just met a very interesting snake earlier."

"Let me guess, one of our prodigal sons come back to Konoha?" Jiraiya asked. "Not bloody likely, but there IS a reason he took up THAT task, one we're probably not privileged enough to see yet."

"Like Sensei did? 'Cleaning up the mistakes of the past'? Right now, I'm torn between just packing up and going and knocking you upside the head before I do. The two of you are worse than that bastard Danzou, may his soul burn in hell forever."

Jiriaya hmmphed. "Well, if you think about it, whoever gets to be Hokage won't have to deal with all these skeletons in the closet. She also happens to marshal the aid of all the clan heads as well, and will have advisers who she trusts implicitly."

"The thing here is... I don't know if I can trust YOU anymore. What the snake said..."

"...is utterly and completely true," Jiraiya answered. "Yeah, it's the worst thing ever and makes Shimura Danzou look like a freaking guardian angel of Konoha compared to sensei. But..."

"...you do realize why sensei did that, right?"

He finished his sake and shuffled out the bar, leaving Tsunade to her thoughts.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto stood just outside the door of the bar, confused at the strange talk his sensei-for-this-trip and the grouchy old woman said sensei referred to as their next Hokage had.

_Just what are they talking about? Mistakes? Sensei? Wait, Jiraiya-sama said that Old Man Hokage was their sensei... snakes... so that would mean Orochimaru..._

_That can't be right... Orochimaru working with his former teammates? How? Why?_

He looked at Jiraiya walking down the street and realized he wouldn't get his answers by simply asking - besides, these things could wait. Mastering the Rasengan had priority, after all.

* * *

The field was littered with spiral gouges, proof of Naruto's attempts to properly create the Rasengan.

All of them - so far - had ended in failure.

He had created a few stable ones, but those did so little damage and thus, failed.

He tried to keep up the degree of control while upping the power but ended up unraveling the wispy sphere of chakra.

It was shortly before midnight that Uzumaki Naruto finally found the last key to the puzzle: his guardian had already turned in for the night, leaving him to go full throttle in his training.

Like most eureka moments, his came from a piece of falling fruit.

He split the plum in half and finally realized the secret.

Grinning evilly, he swung his arms in a wide arc before setting his hands in the position to start the rotation for the Rasengan.

_That did the trick, _he thought. Now to surprise the hell out of Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama first thing tomorrow.

After blasting half of a tree into the horizon, Uzumaki Naruto just laid up and slept on the grass, his task accomplished.

* * *

Bright and early the next day, they had met on the clearing a few miles from town, as agreed after a certain proposition was given.

One wanted her family back. The other wanted his arm.

It was a fair exchange at first glance, but if you realize that this was Senju Tsunade and Orochimaru exchanging favors... the world would very well end with what would unfold...

Thus Tsunade and Orochimaru, former teammates, looked each other in the eye and nodded, the deal finalized.

"So, you're going through with this?"

"My answer is... no."

"I feared as much..." Orochimaru answered. "...but yes, that is the best answer for all concerned. Shall we commence our hostilities now?"

Only moments passed by before Tsunade charged in, aiming to perforate the snake Sannin's body with one blow.

Back in town, Yakushi Kabuto was blazing a tactical withdrawal towards his master. While he could theoretically hold his own against someone like Shizune AND Naruto, his master was currently fighting his former teammate - and by the looks of it, Orochimaru was at a marked disadvantage.

"Neechan!" Naruto said, running towards Shizune.

"D-d-don't worry about me... help Tsunade-sama..." she said. The fight had taken a lot out of her, and it only took Naruto's last-minute arrival to prevent a messy death via chakra scalpel.

"He's going towards his master, you'd better hurry... Jiraiya-sama's pursuing him too..." she added, and Naruto simply let out a sigh as he saw the young woman covered in narrow cuts from that guy's cutting technique. Upon focusing on the details of Shizune-neechan's injuries, he also saw a few bruises, senbon pricks and involuntary shudders that was the symptom of chakra exhaustion. Naruto narrowed his eyes, and after seeing several medics come over to them, looked back at Shizune, his expression changing immediately.

He flashed her the brightest smile he could before leaving her to the care of the medics, and rushed towards where he could already feel chakra flaring.

* * *

The aftereffects of the mickey Tsunade had slipped in his sake hadn't completely worn off, so by the time Jiraiya made it to the fight, he could only cast several D-rank jutsu to hinder Kabuto's sudden entry into the fray.

And then things went from bad to worse as a dark-gray blur dashed into the battle and sent Yakushi Kabuto flying with a chakra-powered flying kick.

"So, so predictable..." Orochimaru hissed upon seeing Naruto making his usual dramatic entrance. "...coming to the aid of one who has treated your dreams as garbage, it is truly more pathetic than... contemptible."

"What are you really here for anyway?" Naruto roared.

"Why, to settle a few personal scores, all ulterior loyalties aside, boy."

_Loyalties?_

Kabuto had gotten back up and was now at his master's side once more. "Master, it is not prudent to be disclosing these things at this time."

"Nonsense, Kabuto. I'm sure you know that the great Sandaime Hokage once told me... that the truth is a far more dangerous weapon than any jutsu."

Tsunade and Jiraiya both gasped. _Why is he opening the can of worms now?_

"What I do understand now is that you're not only a traitor to the Leaf, but you're also after those eyes of Mr. Uchiha!"

"You believed that little cover story Sensei and my team made? How lame. Allow me to show you exactly where Sensei, my teammates, and you... stand."

The snake Sannin began a series of one-handed seals, with Kabuto assisting.

All three of their opponents gasped as a very familiar rune-inscribed circle surrounded the two Sound-nin.

"Gogyou Fuuin Kikai."

_**"Five Elements Magic Barrier. Release,"**_ a mechanical voice called out.

A whoosh of released energy that everyone felt flashed over the clearing like a pulse - an obvious effect of this pulse was that everything suddenly changed colors, as if within some kind of periphery field or pocket dimension.

_Magic Barrier? But that would mean... _Naruto thought, about to draw his Device, when...

Nothing.

_**Damn.**_

_Kyuubi?_

_**As long as this barrier is up, I cannot actively link with you nor lend you my power.**_

_Oro... Orochimaru has a Device?_

**_Negative, Meister. Data Link acquired. Data decompression sequence initiated. I cannot assist you in battle, but I will do what I can in regulating your Linker Core._**

_**Good idea. Lass, I'll assist.**_

**_Thank you._**

_**Don't worry about your chakra fluctuating, as we're keeping the flow as even as we can!**_

_W-w-w-what's going on?_

_**TRY TO STAY ALIVE SO YOU'LL GET TO DO SO! **_both literally yelled in the boy's mind as Naruto barely dodged a strike aimed to decapitate him by a very irate Orochimaru.

"Payback time for the Forest of Death, BOY!" the snake Sannin snarled as he continued attacking, Kusanagi in his hand.

Jiraiya and Tsunade were about to go and assist Naruto, but Kabuto had proven himself a very wily foe: he had capitalized on Jiraiya's protectiveness and Tsunade's hemophobia, and had them both tied up - part of the plan he and his Master put together.

* * *

Several minutes (that could have been hours in Naruto's perspective) dodging snakes within sleeves, various jutsu whose origins he didn't (and wouldn't want to) know, and that really sharp sword (went through a tree's trunk like it was nothing).

Deep inside, Uzumaki Naruto was aghast. The extent one would go to just to take revenge on a little childish prank (yes, while it used a kunai with an explosive tag tied to it, it was still a childish prank after all) was what he currently defined the world "overkill" by. He was also rather awed by the gap between his skill and that of the snake Sannin's - and frightened that if he made one wrong move, he'd end up stuck on the Kusanagi.

Worse was that he was burning through what little chakra stores he had left, as the barrier had been doing an excellent number on his coils!

As he blocked another slash with his kunai (which broke), he backpedaled and drew... his final pair.

_Well, this sucks. Looks like I'm gonna get cut down by a psycho missing-nin just 'cause I shoved a kunai up his butt._

_**A kunai with an exploding tag, Naruto. Don't forget that.**_

_It was a good idea at the time, the way Mr. Uchiha described it back in the Forest of Death._

_**As they say, this is where things begin to go full circle, Meister.**_

Naruto's mind suddenly flashed back to several minutes ago.

_Full circle._

_He's still underestimating me after taking my Device and Kyuubi out of the equation._

_Full circle, eh?_

_Wait a second... I can still wing this._

It had gotten to the point where the barrier had lowered the voices of the Kyuubi and Reynard in his head, but for the moment, Naruto was a bit glad - after all, he needed all the concentration he could to pull off this last-second save.

Orochimaru maneuvered his opponent into a corner...

* * *

_Why can't I move...?_

_...am I really that horrible a person to come apart just at this little thing?_

_Grandfather... granduncle... will I be worthy enough to carry your name?_

Her eyes shot up, her phobia forgotten as Jiraiya suddenly took a chakra scalpel to the shoulder.

His blood sprayed out, and Kabuto stepped back, a deranged grin on his face at the thrill of battling a Sannin... and winning so far.

_Will I let another one of them die...?_

_Is this how it's going to end for that old pervert...?_

_I can't let it happen..._

_No, I won't let it happen!_

_Put it together, Tsunade..._

_...move..._

_...Move..._

**_...MOVE!_**

Kabuto only had a moment to turn his head a little to the left before the chakra-powered fist plowed into his cheek.

"Glad to see you're back among us, Tsunade-hime," Jiraiya said, grinning despite the wound he'd taken.

"Just shut up, the kid is still fighting Orochimaru," Tsunade replied, getting her medic-nin skills back in working order and stopping the worst of Jiraiya's shoulder injury. "What's his beef with Naruto anyway?"

"Er... you didn't hear? Naruto actually nailed him with **YOUR** technique in the Forest of Death during the Chunin Exams."

"The 'Thousand Years of Death'?" Tsunade asked, gobsmacked as she almost disrupted the healing jutsu from the sudden giggle.

"Don't remind me of all those times you... er... perfected its use on me." Jiraiya said, shuddering a bit. _Especially when I made a jibe about her flat-chestedness back then._

"Keep quiet and let me finish healing up your shoulder, Gama-ecchi."

* * *

Naruto's discovery about the fight so far wasn't that big a deal, but given what he knew and what the snake Sannin didn't, the little bit of knowledge would end up winning the day for him.

He was cornered at last, and made his final stand, drawing the last pair of kunai he had. Going into his accustomed fighting stance, he breathed in and out slowly, getting the last-minute details of what should be done down right, just before his opponent would come charging at him.

And come charging he did, brandishing the Kusanagi and aiming to score a debilitating if not lethal hit.

What the boy did next was completely and utterly unexpected. Instead of trying to dodge the overhead slash, he used a circular block with his right hand, delaying the strike. Orochimaru followed up with a right forward kick, but the leg was parried by a pendulous swing of the boy's left arm.

He also managed to get the kunai in his left hand lodged in Orochimaru's right foot, but all the Sannin's focus was on the follow-up sword thrust with his left arm, aiming for the heart.

Orochimaru did manage to graze Naruto's shoulder with the Kusanagi as it whizzed by, and made to draw his arm back for the finishing blow...

...when he felt the telltale sign of chakra being molded. He looked down quickly to the source only to find a spherical maelstrom being formed in the boy's two hands.

"Oh crap," was all the renegade ninja managed to say before Naruto shoved the completed Rasengan in his gut.

* * *

The colors of the world returned quickly to normal as Orochimaru crashed some distance away after being sent spinning through the air by Naruto's perfected Rasengan.

Sure enough, it was Yakushi Kabuto who came to his master's side, all the while finishing setting his jaw back to normal after taking that big a hit.

"Master!"

Orochimaru shed his skin and emerged none the worse for wear, and glared at his two former teammates and this... this... boy, who had managed to spoil his plans for the future AND beat him down twice so far. This insult to his skill would not go unreciprocated for long.

"How is plan B going, Kabuto?"

"Good as good, Master."

"Excellent. Let's put it on the table, then."

"Yes, Master."

They once again collaborated in creating hand seals before yelling out the Kuchiyose no Jutsu.

* * *

Some distance away, Naruto could feel his Device coming online, as well as the seal on his stomach reactivating itself.

_**Data decompression sequence completed. It seems we Devices have a lot to learn from this world.**_

_**Glad you pulled it off, kid. That was very risky... but very cool, too.**_

_Thanks, you guys._

"Naruto!" Jiraiya yelled, moving over to his location with Tsunade not far behind.

He shot them a look that meant "you're-gonna-give-me-the-details-of-what-this-snake-bastard-is-saying-after this", and was about to tell them to go take the "protective older person" act somewhere when they saw a puff of smoke where Orochimaru and Kabuto had crashed and heard a monstrous hiss.

"Manda," both Jiraiya and Tsunade said. The slug Sannin bit her thumb and began the seal sequence, followed by Jiraiya.

"You've done what you can, now leave this to us," Jiraiya said as Gamabunta and Katsuyu made their respective appearances.

Naruto simply nodded and hung back as he watched the Orochimaru get his ass handed to him by his two former teammates in a battle he knew he shouldn't take part in.

Besides, the real battle would begin after Orochimaru would leave, of that he was sure of.

* * *

The Sannin battle had taken shorter than he thought, with Tsunade sending both Orochimaru and his lackey retreating with several glancing hits after Jiraiya had distracted them with ninjutsu.

_Glancing hits or not, those punches had the force that could lift up and shatter boulders,_ Naruto thought.

Now that the battle had ended and Orochimaru had managed to retreat (this time), Naruto was now deep in thought about the implications of Orochimaru's statements.

_If Orochimaru has a Device... then that means..._

_...wait, he tried to beat me to the ground._

_**There was no poison on the Kusanagi, Naruto. He was trying to humiliate and beat you, but not kill you.**_

_He's on our side, after all this?_

_**Not necessarily, Meister. You might want to take a look at this.**_

Naruto felt a stream of information enter his mind (the decoded data his Device had acquired from the Snake Sannin), and gasped at what it implied.

* * *

Jiraiya and Tsunade were exhausted after that drag-out fight with their rogue teammate, and were about to head back to town with Naruto to check on Shizune's condition, when they felt a large amount of demonic chakra flare. Rushing to the source, they saw Naruto molding the demonic chakra into his hands, aiming to make an even bigger Rasengan than before.

He fired it into the sky where it detonated in a dazzling display for fireworks before dissipating, and the demonic chakra faded away. Looking up to the sky at the results of his technique, he flashed that sad smile of his and then looked at the two Sannin approaching him.

"I used the chakra flare so I wouldn't break the link. Sorry if that bothered you," he began.

"I suppose I lose the bet..." Tsunade responded. "For you to perfect the Rasengan in so short a time..."

"Thanks, but don't start praising me quite yet. My Device managed to intercept a communique from whatever Device Orochimaru was using. And that letter said..." Naruto added, trailing off. "...that Orochimaru is working for another organization - and worse, the Curse Seal of Heaven was actually one of the last Black Ops of Konoha."

Tsunade and Jiraiya sighed.

"We didn't want you to find this one out until you were ready, Naruto..." Jiraiya said. "It's not like we were proud of what we were doing."

"If this is what it means, and Orochimaru's actions were purely personal, then the invasion..." Naruto continued, the pieces finally falling together. "...was just a diversion for something else."

The unsaid words hung in the air.

**Orochimaru is a double agent.**

"Would I want to hold onto my dream now?" Naruto finally asked after several uncomfortable minutes had passed, breaking the silence. "After this, when everything I knew about Konoha, the Hokage, and the three of you... isn't all that true?"

"You will carry on your dreams, because what Sensei and Jiraiya did before..." Tsunade answered, "will make sure that none of what happened with the Council and the Elders will happen now. And I'll do my part for their future, and your future as well, kid."

She took off the strange necklace on her head.

"Now that you know why I left all those years ago and why I'm returning to serve as the Fifth Hokage, AND because you won the bet... this is yours now," she added, looping the necklace around the boy's head.

"Let's go check on Shizune, shall we?"

Naruto merely nodded, feeling slightly disoriented as the disillusionment of recent revelations had yet to impact completely upon his psyche.

As he walked side by side with the Toad Sage and the Fifth Hokage, they couldn't help but wonder... would he become another casualty of this new truth, or would he overshadow these facts with his spirit?

Only time would tell, and the only logical thing to do right now was wait and see.

* * *

_Wake up, child._

_Wake up._

_You are alive once more._

_You have resurfaced._

_We have become one, you and I._

_These seals, which split us before, have now bound us even closer together._

_Now rise._

_Let us rise together._

_Let us show this world the color of mayhem once more.  
_

Somewhere in Konoha General Hospital, a comatose ninja simply opened his eyes, tore his IV's off, opened the window, and hurled himself into the night, heading off towards Amaterasu knows where...

Chapter 23 - **END**

**a/n: **ZOMG another cliffhanger... and now the plot thickens. Orochimaru with a Device only means bad news for our hero, and the fact that he's lost to Naruto twice now means he's gonna be itching for some payback. We are now officially in AU territory, folks! There will be events that on the surface resemble canon, but whose true motivations and undercurrents lie completely elsewhere. Watch for it.

I'll follow this chapter up quickly with just what the letter inside had that got Naruto all worked up.

additional disclaimers: something good = utah saints; billy vs. snakeman = mcmasters


	24. Interlude: Duplicitous Correspondence

Admiral Lindy Harlaown  
Time-Space Administration Bureau  
Command Vessel "Asura"

Admiral Harlaown:

Greetings.

I would have wanted to begin this letter with small talk, but I am afraid the time for that has long since passed. There have been momentous developments in the world I am in right now, and I am unsure whether to place our world within the scope of your Bureau's radar.

This incident is not unlike that of twelve years ago, where not only were your operatives were nearly deployed here during the Kyuubi attack, our status as an "Unregistered" world would be put in jeopardy.

I write to you now to give you my assurances that the crisis has been averted, and external intervention will not be necessary for now.

There are a few precautions we should take - I in my capacity as Shodaime Otokage, and you as Admiral of the TSAB - in light of future events, as follows:

- Other Hidden Villages are about to acquire Midchilda technology. I do not know who is responsible for this leak, but I am working to find its source and prevent them from accessing and using it.

- I've received a report from my right-hand man that a high-profile, long-term target of yours is now working as a jonin in Konoha. For all intents and purposes, it is unwise to mount an apprehension attempt for now, as the repercussions of such would not be beneficial. For now, I recommend continued reconaissance of Konohagakure.

- Your research notes on improving and upgrading the Cursed Seals of Heaven and Earth have gone a long way in my work, and for that I thank you. I also give you my thanks for curing a heretofore incurable illness of one of my subordinates.

Please take the time to make the acquaintance of your former superior Admiral Gil Graham, as he has collaborated with me in the past in ensuring that the TSAB surveillance of our world continues to go unnoticed.

One last word of advice: it will be around three years before the organization I infiltrated makes their move. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to stop this crisis without alerting our world of your presence, but we should take this time to come up with a discreet plan of intervention.

My next correspondence will come in a future time, as I am still recovering from a battle with a Belkan user - and you are correct, as usual - Belka-type magic is far more fitting for close combat than Midchildan-type.

This is all I can disclose for now, as my work beckons.

I shall send another item in six months or so, my schedule permitting.

Very truly yours,

Orochimaru of the Sannin

P.S. I have been making good use of the Device Admiral Graham sent me. Please send him thanks on my behalf.


	25. Hearts of Fire

_disclaimer:_ once again, with feeling, none of this is mine.

**foreword:**

20k views.

**Twenty. Thousand. Views.**

Holy crap.

Much thanks for putting up with this silly little idea of mine, and I'll do my best to try and top myself in world-crafting and other things. Besides, the way the fic is going, I'll be headed into Shippuden territory by June at the latest, where whirlwinds shall be reaped.

If you're wondering why my writing pace has slowed, blame my brother for bringing me back to a little waste of time called Philippine Ragnarok Online on the Valkyrie server - look for DabZee [Priest], Rushuna-tan [Gunslinger - dohoho, you see what I did there?], Syndrea [Knight], EinstAlfimi [Rogue], Amaha Masane [Crusader - guess where all the VIT goes], Ranka-chan [Blacksmith], and Fujiwara no Mokou [Ninja].

Speaking of writing, I also don't know how well my characterization is going. I'm also not a big fan of shipping and preferred couples. Yeah, I do have some of those, but I'm not gonna let the Relationship Olympics override the plot - I'm evil like that.

This is where we see through the end of one arcs and start with a new one.

* * *

_Everything felt like it happened a lifetime ago. What I wanted was acknowledgment. What I received was a family._

_Not just a family. Friends, colleagues, even flaky rivals, snarky teammates, well-proportioned Hokages and their assistants, plus a person of indeterminate gender... all of them, they are all my precious people._

_And seeing their smile is the reason I can still go further._

_But how further will this go?  
_

_Naruto: Arcane Heart will now begin._

_

* * *

_

_**NARUTO: ARCANE HEART**_

**Chapter 25: Hearts of Fire**

By the time Uzumaki Naruto saw the gates of Konohagakure, he was knee-deep in self-doubt, disillusionment and confusion about where he was, what he was doing and why he was doing it.

The Nine-Tailed Fox had wanted to give him advice on dealing with the situation, but Reynard had other ideas.

"Don't make him think like he's the only ninja of Konoha who's had to deal with something like this. Besides, he's smart and tough enough to come out of this a better person. He'll do just fine - we'll only intervene as a last resort, if any."

The link between his Device and the entity sealed within him had also become tenuous as of late: the rollercoaster of emotions he went through didn't help, and the side effects of that Five-Element Magic Barrier still lingered throughout the return trip.

But something like that didn't stop Naruto from continuing to train while returning to Konoha with Jiraiya-sama, Shizune-neechan and Hokage-sama (_it was so surreal calling Tsunade-san that title,_ he thought)... the only thing was, the confusion he felt was making itself known through his training.

He had tried doing the water-walking exercise only to fall through and douse himself thoroughly after a mere five seconds - and even Reynard had to give him a few choice words about his dagger and scimitar form getting rather sloppy. The Kyuubi also likewise gave him a little feedback about his transformation jutsus, but Naruto could feel that despite the fox trying to choose his words, the disappointment in his voice could still be heard.

It need not be said that by the time of their return to Konoha, Naruto was at a crossroads.

* * *

"The Will of Fire still burns strong within us, and it is up to our generation to keep it burning, and to stoke the Will of Fire within our children and our children's children. I will stake everything on my pride as a Sannin and as the granddaughter of our beloved Shodaime Hokage that Konoha shall continue to grow stronger and better than before!"

Senju Tsunade's inaugural address as Godaime Hokage went very well - after all, she had help from a teammate in crafting that little piece of oratory.

She continued on, asking for support from the civilian leaders, merchant guildsmen, corporate representatives (the renowned CEO of Ginsen Corporation - Saito Nagi - even made a personal appearance, which no doubt made a statement to the other Hidden Villages), clan leaders and other high-ranking officials of Konoha.

All this was lost to Uzumaki Naruto - upon his arrival home, he had greeted his family with barely a nod before heading to his room and crashing out. The next few days showed a similar lack of improvement as his usual exuberant nature was... not there, his responses to questions or statements from his adoptive family usually consisting of a nod or grunt at least and two words at most.

Several days had now passed between their arrival and the inauguration, and Naruto still hadn't bounced back from this funk (as was his wont when something terrible happened that involved him). Precia Testarossa took a careful look at his ward and thought that a rather large matter had been bothering him as of late, similar to that time the Third Hokage had practically press-ganged him into getting engaged with Hinata.

Granted, it was to save her from a rather grim fate via Caged Bird Seal, but the way this was done and how it starkly contrasted with Naruto's beliefs were the source of his depression.

Precia frowned as she thought about it. _What dissonance could affect him in this manner?_

Alicia and Haku were both thinking along the same lines as they watched him stare blankly at the podium where the new Hokage was just about wrapping up her inaugural address by saying her thanks to Hatake Kakashi - who had done an exemplary job of holding the fort in her absence, the people of Konoha, and a certain child who she believed could change the world of ninja in the near future.

The Godaime's reference to Naruto was completely lost to the boy.

* * *

That night, there was a mini-concert for the Konoha-nin held for Senju Tsunade's return and inauguration near a training ground. The genin (and several chunin) who helped with setting up the stage and assisting the band had been given several free tickets for their reward.

And overseeing the festivities was the Toad Sage, Jiraiya.

"Is this a great idea, one of my greatest ideas, or what?" he said, smiling at his teammate, both of them at the "honored guests" row of seats, sipping their drinks imported from the next continent over - champagne, Precia-san said it was called - and just enjoying the music.

"You put this together even when you weren't in Konoha?" Tsunade asked rather skeptically.

"I actually put Precia Testarossa up to most of the preparing. You know, one of the two Uzumaki found four and a half years ago, currently a jonin-sensei, has a chunin daughter named Alicia who's on Team 8, fought and defeated the Nibi jinchuriki..."

Tsunade's eyes widened. "Defeated the Nibi jinchuriki?"

"Yeah. Got Kumo in a veritable tangle over that. I managed to actually squeeze a decent amount of concessions from them in exchange for cutting her and her genin loose."

"Pretty good," Tsunade replied, trying to hide her amazement by understating it.

"She's also Naruto's legal guardian."

"You're kidding."

"Would the gallant Jiraiya lie in such a context?"

They both laughed and continued watching the show.

* * *

The band broke out in a very impressive cover of "More Than A Feeling", causing several Konoha-nin listening in to tap their feet and sing along to the chorus.

"This is even better than a wide-area genjutsu!" said the keyboardist(s) to the drummer.

"That's not what we're here for. Besides, I kind of like the set that jonin gave us to practice for today," the rotund drummer replied. "Solo's coming up. Sure you can handle it?"

One vocalist - a fiery redheaded girl - responded with a barely-seen nod as she belted out an epic "and she slipped away...", causing their guitarist to respond with a set of killer riffs.

"And they say this was supposed to be a boring recon job!" the guitarist mouthed to the lead vocalist, who shrugged as their band finished off the song, earning a standing ovation from the Konoha-nin audience.

"Weren't we given orders not to stand out?" one vocalist whispered to the other.

"Bugger if I know."

* * *

The orb was green, and Tsunade the Godaime Hokage didn't know whether to think this was the best or worst thing ever. After all, she had just been handed the "Heart of Konohagakure" by a wizened old caretaker who had been instructed by the Sandaime - through Jiraiya - to hold onto it until a successor could be named.

The orb glowed with a light similar to that of the Uzumaki's strange daggers, but otherwise did not react when touched by the slug Sannin. She took the offered artifact, bowed to the caretaker, thanked him for taking good care of something as precious as the "Heart of Konoha", and returned to her office to start off her first day on the job - by awarding Uzumaki Naruto his chunin vest.

* * *

It was around ten in the morning when Uzumaki Naruto walked through the front door of his family's home. He had been summoned to the Hokage's Tower around half an hour ago, and he now returned carrying an olive green flak vest...

...which he simply slung over a chair in his room before going to the kitchen.

_He shouldn't be reacting like this. One step closer to his goal of being Hokage and he disparages it... I need to talk to him._

"Naruto," Precia called. "I've asked Hokage-sama for a bit more flexibility in our teams. Haku-chan's taking up medic-nin studies, Sai's still at the hospital, and I've still yet to teach Alicia Sonic Form."

"Would I have a specialized Form, much like you and Alicia?" he asked as he took a seat on the dining table next to his guardian.

"It would depend on your fighting style, really. A Device like yours is more of a generalist, adaptable to most situations. Anyway, I asked Hokage-sama and Kurenai-san for you and Alicia to swap places for today. They've already assembled at the Hokage Tower waiting for you."

Naruto shrugged. "What's the use? It's not like being Hokage would make me protect more people."

"Why the sudden change in demeanor, Naruto?" Precia asked.

Naruto hmmphed. "Maybe because I want to protect those precious to me, that I'd begin to end up killing more than I want to protect. Is that what being Hokage means?"

"Hokage-sama was many things," Precia answered, "and don't I always tell you that everything happens for a reason?"

"It does, but when you look at it in a certain light... he did all these atrocious things, all for the Will of Fire! Why?"

"I suppose you'll find your answer when you become Hokage..." Precia said. "All right, I have a question for you. You see a woman whipping her daughter for failing a simple task. What then?"

"That woman's out-and-out nuts! I'd beat her face in if I could. Nobody in their right mind does that, even in a Hidden Village!" Naruto exclaimed.

Precia smiled sadly. "Well, would you have answered that if I said that I was the woman doing that?"

Naruto gaped.

"Y-y-you wouldn't do that to Alicia!"

Precia nodded.

The facts she had told him before, right when he had hit rock bottom after going in cahoots with Old Man Hokage to save Hinata, began to click in his mind.

_She wouldn't do that to Alicia._

_But to her sister..._

_...why?_

Naruto only noticed that he was shaking when his guardian put her hand on his shoulder to steady him.

"You remember?"

"Remember what?" _I don't need to ask her whether she regrets what she's done. It's written all over her face, every time Alicia says something about her sister Fate. Everything she's told me ever since I became genin, it all makes sense now. But... does this mean I'm justifying what Old Man Hokage did? What do I do now?_

"'Everything in this world has a purpose and place, even those things we don't know or yet understand.' You should spend less time brooding over it and get to the mission lined up today," Precia said.

"Besides..." she added, "I wouldn't want to think you'd end up a follower of 'Kakashi time'."

Naruto nearly fell off the chair and let out a few chuckles.

_Yeah, that works, too._

"Thank you... Aunt Precia."

"No... thank you. Now go on, you'd better head out. And don't forget your vest!"

Uzumaki Naruto finally flashed his first honest smile in several days before going to his room and getting his vest before making a beeline for the Hokage Tower.

* * *

"You're kidding."

"Would I look like I'm kidding?" Kakashi said. "Gonna be seeing my team in awhile anyway, gonna crash for a bit while I have a cup of coffee. Or several. That import they called 'tequila' was absolutely brutal."

"Still, there are a lot of single kunoichi working here... but Akane-chan?"

"Ugh, don't remind me..." Kakashi groaned. There was a band, a party, he got the acquaintance of this rather fetching-looking chunin, bought the both of them some drinks, went towards the dance floor, and then...

...and then...

Kakashi chuckled darkly. While that thing the importers called tequila did a wonderful job on his state of mind, it did do a good job in blocking out most of the unpleasant things he did under its influence.

All in all, it wasn't such a bad trade.

"Hey, it's gonna be eleven soon. Those genin of yours are gonna be looking for you at the cenotaph. You said you'd get several of the genin teams to be cleaning up what used to be the Uchiha estates, did you not?"

"Right, right..."

The copy-nin finished off the remnants of his coffee and made his exit quick.

"Well, I should probably be going too," his companion said, but before he could go, the waitress called out to him.

"Er, excuse me, but he asked to put his drinks on your tab..." the waitress said.

"Damn you, Kakashi..." Sarutobi Asuma whispered as he grudgingly forked over the bills towards the cashier. Espresso was expensive!

* * *

"You know what's funny?"

"Yeah, what?"

"Coincidence."

"What about coincidence?"

"Think about it, we were sent here separately, and the people whose trust we've gained... they got us to volunteer for the inauguration concert."

"I freaking know what you mean, geez. Plus, the organizer got us together, what are the chances of that happening?"

"...does this mean our cover is blown?"

"Not yet, as far as I can recall. Besides, we're still on the clock. Chief says that our target should initiate contact with us pretty soon."

"And we never even got any news from back home. How lame."

"We'll catch up once we phone this little retrieval in, don't worry."

"Damn right you shouldn't worry, this will be a piece of cake."

"Speaking of cakes..." the heavyset man said. "Since she's the singer, what do you suppose would happen if she actually dressed the part?"

"Like what... like those 'maid' costumes along the resort towns in Fire Country? I mean, if you think about it, she'd totally look the part."

"You got that right. Something like a black dress?"

Pop.

"Black stockings!"

Pop.

"A white apron?"

Pop.

"And... a lacy maid headdress!"

Pop.

Four out of five of them suddenly got an image of their vocalist wearing such an outfit. "Yeah, it would be really, really... cu-" said one of the twins, but before he could finish, the redheaded singer finally snapped and beat down her bandmates before leaving the rehearsal room in a huff.

"...Kimi, your imagination sucks," the other twin said.

The white-haired backup vocalist didn't reply and just groaned, clutching the top of his head.

* * *

"Well, this is your first mission under the new regime, and not only will it be a D-Rank, it will be a joint mission between teams 7, 8 and 10, at the commission of one Uchiha Sasuke," Tsunade began. "Your task is to clear out the remains of the Uchiha Clan's land. Any questions?"

"Er, are we going to see more jonin-sensei or team member swapping in the near future, Hokage-sama?" Uzumaki Naruto asked.

"Good question. I'm just testing the waters, so to speak, by swapping you out with Alicia Testarossa for this task. Consider it synergy training with your contemporaries... chunin."

Naruto's posture straightened up just a bit at that.

"Well," Inuzuka Kiba asked, "it's kinda weird. Why all of us when Shikamaru and Naruto here are already chunin? And where are our jonin-sensei, by the way?"

"Well, think of it this way:" the Hokage replied, "consider everything you go through training for something. Now get going, your teams get a commission for faster completion."

Teams 7, 8 and 10 bowed before the Hokage before leaving.

"Shizune, what's next on the agenda?" she asked, while rummaging for a bottle of sake in her drawer.

"You're due to deliver punitive action to Might Guy for Rock Lee's present condition..."

"Eh, I'm gonna keep it light. Don't want his Fires of Youth to go haywire, anyway. Gonna give his former genin a prosthesis checkup for the meantime."

"...preside over the marriage of Gekkou Hayate and Uzuki Yuugao..."

"...about goddamn time those two tied the knot. Gonna check up the poor sap's cough as well."

"...and a tour of Konoha General's 'Diagnostics'."

"...for the last time, it's not lupus, and it will never be lupus! Wait a minute, since I'm Hokage now, maybe I can implementing that medic-nin program, gonna try and square it with the Council..."

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto finally understood.

_What did it mean to be Hokage?_

_What did it mean to grow strong enough to protect the ones precious to you?_

Speaking of the mission proper, everything went accordingly - with the aid of their various bloodline techniques and Naruto's trademark jutsu, they were able to finish the clearing in record time.

But what had gotten Naruto to finally understand was when he saw moments.

Hinata-chan blushing when Kiba made a jibe about her finally being with Naruto... on a team, and Shino saying in so many words that they looked cute together.

Sakura trying to cure Ino of fangirl sickness, and Sasuke finishing the job after reading "Icha Icha Paradise" in front of her (the book he was reading was actually "The Art of War", but he replaced the cover to that of "Icha Icha", just for laughs).

Chouji saying he'll look forward to a few years later, when he'll hit his growth spurt, and the rest of the rookies cheering him on.

Shikamaru being press-ganged by his team to reveal that yes, he had gone on a long-distance relationship with a certain girl from Suna. Damn, Kiba really was good at those wolf whistles.

Lunch was EVERYONE complementing Hinata's un-freaking-believable skill with food, and exchanging stories about past missions. Nearly everyone losing their minds when Naruto told them about the towns he went to and that convention he'd been in, Sasuke told the gang about the perils of being the acting Hokage's assistant, and everyone laughing about that time he got Kakashi-sensei awake with a bucket of water on the first day of the job, and Team 10 telling stories about training and how all of them were probably going to make chunin come the next exams.

_Yes... this is exactly what I'm fighting for... _Naruto thought as his mind wandered to previous fights as his colleagues' conversation went on.

He went back to the battle with Gaara, and how he went all-out in making sure the guy didn't harm Kiba, Sakura and Mr. Uchiha.

_I think this is what Old Man Hokage meant when he said that the Will of Fire burns brightest in all of us today... and now, it's my duty to keep that fire burning..._

"Naruto, hey!" Kiba said.

"Oh!" he answered. "What, something happen?"

"No, genius, you just zoned out for a bit. So how's it feeling, being chunin at last? You always say you're gonna be the bestest Hokage ever (believe that), so how's it feel being one step closer to your dream, eh?"

"Honestly?" Naruto asked. "It's gonna get harder and harder from here on out, so I gotta do better than my best. Precia-sensei says my leadership skills need polish, too. Say, shouldn't you guys be... you know... a bit jealous?"

Sasuke responded with a simple "Hn."

"Sasuke says that we'll either fail together or get the vest together, that's all," Sakura explained.

"Whoa, looks like that little lecture Kakashi-sensei worked," Chouji added, with Shino nodding his assent.

"Not really, it was during that C-rank gone bad that we really figured it out," Sasuke answered. "By the way, Mr. Uzumaki... that wasn't very nice."

"What wasn't, Mr. Uchiha?"

"Why didn't you tell me Haku-chan was a boy?"

They all laughed as they finished their lunch.

* * *

"That's funny - there should be a patient here for your attention, Tsunade-sama," the nurse began.

Senju Tsunade, her assistant Shizune, and several nurses had gone to the "Diagnostics" ward at Konoha General Hospital to see which of the patients required her special attention.

Unfortunately, they had arrived a bit too late, as the bed they saw was empty.

When one of the nurses pulled the sheet back, the lot of them gasped.

A mixture of blood and ink had been stained into the sheets, made into the shape of the word "awaken".

Tsunade's mind began taking in the situation at breakneck speeds. "Who was supposed to be here and why was he put here?" she asked.

"Oh!" one of the nurses said. "His name is Sai, and he was put here because he went into a coma after being subject to a strange Seal, per the Training Ground 44 part of the recently-held Chunin Exams..."

_Strange Seal?_

_Comatose status?_

_Training Ground 44?_

**_Oh, no..._**

Tsunade moved past the nurses and her assistant abruptly and began running back to the Hokage Tower as fast as she could.

* * *

The jonin-sensei had gone on an informal gathering to discuss certain matters, and the first thing that was on their mind was... that the new Hokage's ideas were... inspired.

Everything had a certain order to them: four newly-promoted chunin (Naruto, Alicia, Shikamaru and Haku) and nearly everyone else in the "Pre-promote" rank would mean that the leadership and administrative skills would be put into play much earlier while maintaining each team's synergy. These group exercises would also serve as a foundation for when team members would switch for various roles and missions seamlessly.

It also served to accustom them to each other's various personality quirks.

But what the jonin-sensei (sans Precia, who was still training her daughter) thought to be the best advantage was that they now had a more loosened schedule for training and other matters - based on what they heard about Naruto and Alicia's feats in taking down the berserk Ichibi, they had their work cut out for them if they still wanted to remain ahead of the newly-promoted chunin, power-wise.

All this and more personal anecdotes (Kakashi, you and Akiyama-sensei from the Academy? You must have REALLY been drunK!) had filled the kiosk the jonin-sensei had rented out for this afternoon.

Everyone left the gathering with just a little more respect for the Copy-Nin on his admirable job as Acting Hokage.

* * *

If it was possible for the Fifth Hokage to keel over on the spot, she would have.

Based on the reports given to her from the past Chunin Exams, her former teammate's ambitions and past activities, this was an entire league worse.

The "secrecy seal" given to ROOT agents not only prevented them from speaking out against Danzou, but it also slowly and gradually destroyed the agent's personality, turning them into something much more malleable than before.

Given all three Sannin's help in creating these seals, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to come to the conclusion that when the Cursed Seal and the Secrecy Seal mix...

...and that the subject has now regained consciousness and has escaped hospital confinement...

...the Village Hidden in the Leaves now had a ticking time bomb on their hands.

"Hokage-sama! Hokage-sama! S-Rank emergency!" Shizune's voice came as she ran pell-mell towards her master.

"...I already have enough on my hands, so what is it?" the Fifth Hokage bellowed to her assistant.

"The former ROOT agent... he stole the Heart of Konoha!"

Tsunade swore up a storm as she ordered her ANBU assembled immediately.

* * *

"I'm here..." a voice said, knocking on the door of the rented apartment building.

"All right, the mission's done! All we have to do is get him in the bucket and then..." the redhead said as she opened the door, but gasped as she looked into the face of someone she totally didn't expect.

"Who the hell are you?"

"What, were you expecting Uchiha Sasuke? Elitists."

Chapter 25 - **END**

* * *

**a/n:** If you're wondering how and why a certain person recruited a certain group of people to perform for the inauguration, re-read chapter 6 - you'll find your answer there.

And yes, I'm going to enjoy making up swear words for everyone's favorite chain-swearing redhead. This might be a "T" rated fic, but the writing challenge is just too tempting to ignore.

The atypical nature of the Nine-Tailed Fox (read back to Chapter 18) will become relevant in the future. How and why is something I'll leave for you guys to speculate on.

I also have a hard time killing off characters. I'll probably shunt over some to the background, long-term long-distance missions, maim them to the point where they can only pursue desk ninja work, but not outright kill them. ...besides, you can give someone a fate worse than death by not actually killing them. Just look at Katejina Loos (villain) and Sochie Heim (heroine).

Next Chapter: The chase is on as a shorthanded Tsunade puts together a team to try and stop Sai from running off with the Heart of Konoha. Uchiha Sasuke stumbles upon the darkest of his clan's secrets. Insidious influences begin to make themselves known, and two Admirals have a nice little chat.

See you later!

p.s. "More Than A Feeling" is by Boston, and the idea of the Sound 5 as musicians is by McMasters. Also, K-On! is by Kakifly... and typing out "Moe moe... kyun!" would actually destroy the nutbladders of you guys, so I kind of skipped it.

And it is delicious review button. **You must click it.**


	26. Down the Rabbit Hole We Go

_disclaimer:_ as I've said so many times, none of this is mine. when are you gonna stop bugging me?

**foreword:**

This fic really, really, really needs a beta. I've been too empathetic and projecting my philosophy in life through these characters, and as a result it's been dragging down this story's quality (i.e. I can't kill off anyone - and I don't want to kill Tayuya because she has the same VA as Ibis Douglas). Anyone who can help with this please leave me a message. ...This fic has the potential to become oh so much better, but with all that's going on...

...for all of that, here's Chapter 26.

* * *

**Chapter 26 - Down the Rabbit Hole We Go**

"Jiraiya-sensei?" the old woman asked as the Toad Sannin made his entrance. "What, may I ask, are you doing here?"

"Just need a second, third and possibly fourth opinion on this," he said, handing over a scroll. "I've been studying how the symbols interact, and I've noticed some of the similarities it has with your work, Chiyo-sama."

The old woman did a perfect double-take when she saw the scroll (which contained an annotated copy of Naruto's upgraded seal).

"My word... so that's how the arrays were reinforced... but this means... hmm, most of the effects were reversed or modified while maintaining the basic structure..." Chiyo-sama said, lost in thought.

"Hmm, these arrays and layers are surprisingly similar to the modifications on my grandson's seal. A work of art, if I may say so myself, and completely out of my, your, and your beloved little Fourth Hokage's league."

"I met the man."

"Really? So how have the years been treating him?"

Jiraiya shrugged, because his suspicions about that old drinking buddy of his started to pay off. "He's doing as well as anyone can. You should see him, he's practically living as a bum these days."

"Isn't that how the Sages of old lived?" the old lady asked, smiling slyly at her little jibe at Jiraiya's expense.

"Well, if you must know that, then..."

His statement was interrupted by a small poof of smoke and a small toad appearing on the Kazekage's office table.

"What are you doing here, Gamakichi?" he asked.

"Emergency message from the Fifth Hokage, sir!" the small toad exclaimed before handing over a small scroll and rushing back to the summoned plane in a puff of smoke, not even bothering to ask for his customary reward.

Jiraiya unrolled the scroll and palmed his face with his free hand after taking a brief look at the message.

"Ugh, another one of our chickens come home to roost," he said before incinerating the scroll with a small fire jutsu.

"Given your current manpower problems, you could use the help of my grandchildren," Chiyo said. "I know more about your Councilman Shimura (may his soul rot in the Shinigami's belly forever) than I usually let on, and if my guess is correct, this is just the beginning of damage control. You really don't know just how far that monster has gone in undermining all of the Elemental Countries, have you? Oh well, you can meet Baki's team at the village gates."

She left her final statement unmentioned. _And maybe begin to pay off the debt we incurred from getting yanked by the nose by your former teammate..._

Jiraiya nodded. "I don't know how soon we'll make it, but I'll do my best. After all..."

"Yes, I understand just how undermanned your forces ended up after your sensei took it upon himself to do some large-scale uprooting (heh heh), not to mention that little Exam fiasco. Our audience is ended, and I still need to take a look at this seal pattern - this old dog has one or two tricks left to learn, it seems."

It was a dismissal, and Jiraiya stood up from the chair and bowed. "By your leave, Kazekage-sama."

"Make haste then, Jiraiya-sama."

As soon as the Sannin left, the acting Kazekage produced a towel and wiped the sweat off her brow. The modifications on Gaara's seal had blown her away, and now, seeing what had been done to the Kyuubi container had given her the largest shock of her long life.

Investigating further into how the seals were arrayed, the acting Kazekage shook her head. It was a masterpiece of simplicity, and she almost wanted to kick herself for not coming up with it. Seals of this (ironic) complexity and ingenuity were an entire order of magnitude above the seal masters of their generation. She wondered who would take up the craft and reach the skill level this... Dragon Sage possessed.

_...Would a lifetime devoted to the study of this field even be enough to not just produce, but revise and upgrade a seal of that caliber? she thought. Regardless... I owe him my thanks for helping the old pervert finish the arrays on my grandson._

* * *

The mission was supposed to be for Hunter-Nin, but since all the squads were presently deployed and the ANBU were thinned out because of the recent ROOT purge, the Fifth Hokage had to bite the bullet.

"Nara. Uzumaki. Testarossa," she announced. "This will be your first official mission as chunin of the Leaf. The three of you will lead a pursuit team to apprehend one of our own who has escaped with unknown ninja towards the borders of Fire Country."

"Who's the perp?" Alicia asked.

"The former ROOT-nin Sai."

"That can't be..." Naruto said.

"Well, it is, for reasons that I cannot disclose for the time being. Each of you will have one genin adjutant of your choice to accompany you - except for Uchiha Sasuke..."

"...because you're suspecting that the escorts could be Sound-nin, the defector might be going to Sound, and we can't hazard the Sharingan being lost."

"Excellent deduction, Shikamaru. Who will your genin adjutant be?"

"I'll pick Akimichi Chouji."

"I'll choose Inuzuka Kiba," Naruto added.

"Hmm..." Alicia thought for a while before she said "Hyuuga Neji."

Naruto thought carefully._ None of us know Sai that well, and I'm not sure if the team we put together will even agree to this operation._

Shikamaru sensed his fellow chunin's discomfort, going on the same line of thought, and had to say something. "We may not actually like him, but he's of the Leaf, so it is our duty to do what we can."

Alicia nodded and gave the Nara an appreciative smile.

"Given their movements, if we had some sort of rapid movement jutsu like the Yondaime's Hiraishin, we should be able to..."

"Naruto and I can reach the enemy nin group in time," Alicia said. "You guys can follow up while we slow them down. Based on accounts I've read of the Fourth's trademark technique, what Naruto and I can do isn't as fast, but it will get the job done."

"A good plan," Shikamaru said.

"Well, it's all cleared," Tsunade said, "and now you can get to briefing your team and planning the mission. Execute the mission quickly; time is of the essence."

"Yes, Hokage-sama!"

"Godspeed. Dismissed."

The three chunin bowed and exited the office, preparing to brief their team.

* * *

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away...

"Please prepare our guest some tea and then wait for our meeting to finish before tending to me."

"Yes, sir." The two girls nodded as they went about their business.

"I see they've still left you a decently long leash to move around in," the aqua-haired woman began.

"Yes, it's a good enough leash for me; and no, I don't have any pressing need to get myself involved in this business again. I've retired, you see."

"I can see that," the woman answered, "but when it seems the Bureau and I have finished dealing with the cloak and dagger..."

"...Something like this comes up." She produced a letter addressed to her, with the old man she was conversing with named within it.

"Ah, so my informant has finally written to you. Did he mention me?"

"He wants to send his thanks for the Device you sent him."

"Ah, for something as basic as a Storage Device? That seems strange," the old man said, thoughtful. "Then again, based on our correspondence, he seemed filled with wonder upon witnessing our technology, even if it was just a presentation."

"Please get to the point, Admiral."

"You are the Admiral, not me. I am merely an old man enjoying my last days."

"True..." the woman answered, brushing a lock of her aqua green hair aside. "Still, what this letter implies..."

"You've taken my spot long enough to know that the TSAB has a few discreet surveillance operations going on. Some worlds are meant to be dealt with in a low-key manner, right?"

"Fair enough, but your man says that their world may come under active TSAB supervision within... three years, or so he says."

"...based on the Bureau policies upon my departure, you should have a low-volume high-power assault squad for this situation."

"Unfortunately, I'll also be retiring by that time - but my successor should be able to take over from where I leave my little corner of the Bureau off."

"That may be, Admiral Harlaown..." the man said, "but we should take into account any and every eventuality."

"Indeed, Admiral Graham," Admiral Lindy Haralown replied. "Something worries me. Your informant had vaguely said that there was a high-profile TSAB target on their world. Who it is, I have no idea..."

"Only time will tell, I guess," former Admiral Gil Graham answered. "You have paid this old man a most enlightening visit; thank you."

Admiral Harlaown nodded. "You're welcome, Gil. I suppose I should go and tell Hayate-chan you're doing all right."

He shrugged, not bothering to notice the two silhouettes outside his office stiffen briefly at the mention of "Hayate-chan". "You would, Lindy... but I don't want to spend whatever time I have left lying to her."

"How long?"

"Around 36 to 48 months before the initial symptoms appear. 72 months at most until it has run the full course."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Take care of those youngsters, that's all I can ask you to do. Let us talk of more pleasant things, while we can. Is it true that Chrono's only now noticed Amy?"

"Why yes, he has. And aside from that..."

* * *

It was during the empty times in between missions, training and other things that Precia Testarossa began questioning just how inconsistent things appeared with what they really were.

She looked in the bathroom mirror closely, examining her face for the subtle signs of aging she had overlooked back when she was desperately in the hunt for those pieces of Lost Logia... but now, there was nothing.

The first sign that something was wrong was when a few weeks into her stay with her daughter and the Uzumaki boy, a physical process she thought had stopped... somehow began once more.

Now that the empty times in between her appointed tasks were growing, she found herself asking, this was a patent impossibility, something that even the highest tier of Midchildan research couldn't come up with.

Somehow, who or whatever saved her life had not only excised her disease, but had also reset her biological odometer, so to speak.

The Fifth Hokage was a renowned medic-nin, so logic dictated that she have herself looked at - if only to put an end to the uncertainty bothering her since the new regime went into place.

She finished preparing herself for the small visit to the Hokage Tower and hospital - in that order - to get her appointment for her annual physical checkup personally overseen by the Hokage herself.

_Busy as she may be, she'll probably take a little time to look over me when they see that something's amiss..._

* * *

"Two sets of kunai, shuriken, and reserves."

"Check."

"Storage and emergency sealing scrolls."

"Check."

"Field rations."

"Check."

"Clan-specific items."

"All here."

"Chakra reserves?"

"Good to go."

"Cartridges."

"All stocked, color-coded, and up to capacity."

"Excellent. Let's go bring one of us back to the fold."

"Move out!"

The six-man pursuit team made their way from the gates of Konoha towards their target(s).

* * *

"How long until Bucket Beauty wakes up?"

"Damn if I know!"

The five of them were darting across the Fire Country forests, trying to make it to Rice Country as fast as they could. The reason for their haste was because their hopes for not being detected were sadly dashed by the "princess sleeping in the bucket" (or so their white-haired team leader described him).

They only found out that the defector had stolen the Heart of Konoha - which would mean that they would be found, a team would be formed, and they would be tracked down faster now than before.

_Life sucked sometimes when you were a ninja, _the guy with the rather flat nose thought. _Here I thought making jonin and getting these awesome new powers meant it was all looking up._

Little did he and his teammates know that things were going from bad, to worse, to what would be the start of a long-running cold war within the Elemental Countries... and that the troubles would begin with a beige and a dark green blur darting past their group, only to stop in front of them, strange weapons at the ready.

"...Sound headbands?" Naruto asked.

"Weren't you those guys who played in Hokage-sama's inauguration?" Alicia Testarossa asked, pointing her Spellblade at the redhead.

"...that little display of talent almost blew our cover, to be honest," the leader, a white-haired young man with red facial markings, commented. "Since you've already shaken us down in so short a time, might as well cut the crap. It's not like you and your teammates are gonna be walking or talking after this," he added. "Sad, but what can you do. It's a wild world out there."

"...hard to get by with just upon a smile?" Naruto asked, making the Sound-nin group break out into grins.

_**Well, at least they know their art, **_Kyuubi replied. _**This will, however, be all business from this point on. You know what your objectives are.**_

_**And you know this: no quarter asked, none given. Get ready, Meister.**_

Uzumaki Naruto gripped his daggers tighter as his stance began to loosen.

_Showtime._

* * *

"At first glance, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with you, Precia-san," Shizune began, just as the checkup had finished. "Your physical shows that you're in perfect health, and that..."

"Hold that thought, Shizune," Senju Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, cut in while entering the diagnostic room carrying a few charts. "I've found something strange in your chakra networks, Testarossa-san."

"What about my condition?"

"Precia-san, your condition isn't the thing you should be asking about right now. I've detected traces of demonic chakra throughout your pathways. Given that you've fought with a jinchuriki like the one in Kumo, I would have overlooked it, but..."

"But... what, Hokage-sama?"

"Well," Tsunade finished, "what little traces of demonic chakra within you are currently harmless. In so many words, they have an effect similar to my Creation Rebirth technique - but it draws on its own energy, not on yours."

"So what you mean to tell me is..."

"Your original hypothesis was right. Whoever fixed you up wound your biological clock back around one or two, maybe three decades. But..." Tsunade said, hesitating.

She gave her assistant a glance, who promptly activated the security seals in the room.

"...the entity responsible for doing so is..."

"The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox?" Precia asked with a smile, sending the Godaime and her assistant on a loop.

"Relax, I've had a hunch for quite some time now. Jiraiya and his friend Senryuu the Dragon Sage sort of confirmed my suspicions. You can take it easy, it's not like I want to shout this out to the world."

"I still haven't gotten around to amending Sensei's old law about it, though."

"So what do I do?"

"Do? It's like getting a second life."

"I **HAVE** had a second life upon seeing Alicia up and well again."

"Of course. I'm sure you're going to mold your daughter and Naruto into even stronger ninjas or that thing you call your strange method of combat-"

"We call it magic."

"Right, magic. Either way, this was one place Sensei didn't drop the ball on."

"Indeed. And as a small favor..."

"Anything?"

"...just don't put down my official age yet after this, all right?"

Tsunade and Shizune laughed out loud before the latter disengaged the security seals.

"But of course."

As soon as the elder Testarossa left, Tsunade had to let out a large sigh.

"...and I never even got to tell her that it was more 'spiritual' than 'demonic'. Just what's going on here now?" Tsunade said gloomily as her assistant shrugged.

"You think it's a good idea to tell her you sent her daughter off into a high-risk mission, Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked at last.

"She knows the risks, she's trained her daughter. Besides, the three of them (Naruto included) know something that we don't."

"And what's that?"

"They can fly."

If Shizune's jaw could have crashed onto the ground, it would have at her surprise at the statement.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," the Fifth said, slightly annoyed at both her assistant's reaction and that fact. "Saw it recently in an SS-class secret demonstration shortly after people started sniffing around - we managed to reach a decent enough compromise after it. All the more reason we need to get the Heart back here, because her report just came back in: the Heart is the same class of equipment as the daggers Naruto uses."

"Something they use for what Precia-san called magic?"

"If we're lucky, Konoha will now have four of their class in its active roster."

Her eyebrows furrowed over the intelligence reports sent to her. _And if these rumors are any indication, it's not just only Konoha who will end up with these new devices of warfare in the future... _she thought.

She sighed and made up her mind to start training successors as soon as possible to prepare Konoha for the inevitable shifts of power in the near future.

* * *

"..._'to achieve the next evolution of the Sharingan, one must slay his closest friend'_? What kind of bull is this?" Uchiha Sasuke asked himself while poring over the most secret of the Uchiha Clan's secret scrolls.

It had been a day since Sasuke had discovered his Clan's secret meeting room. He had waited, procrastinated and did many other things for four and a half years before today, as his position as the Academy rookie had been snatched under his nose by Hyuuga Hinata, which put his brother's ominous little suggestion on the back burner.

Four years of playing neck-and-neck with Hyuuga Hinata for #1 Rookie at the Academy, and then there was Team 7 (and the infamous Thousand-Years-of-Death technique courtesy of Kakashi-sensei), missions, serious training, the Chunin Exams, even more serious training, the Finals... he never really got to reading the Clan's secret scrolls until after he scheduled the Clan properties for clearing in preparation for their inevitable lease.

And now, reading through the secret scrolls, he discovered a surprising irony: the last remaining loyal Uchiha wasn't very Uchiha-like at all.

_I don't have any close friends. I have friends, but not as close as I'd want them to be... maybe Yamanaka-san, but he's more like a father figure to me..._

He had wanted answers on how he was able to summon those strange black flames of his, and how he could actually wield them for use, and found nothing in the clan's scrolls. Nothing but stolen fighting techniques, sword techniques, ninjutsu, genjutsu, even medical jutsu - all of which he planned to donate to the Konoha public library.

To Uchiha Sasuke's credit, he didn't particularly care about the Sharingan's jutsu-copying ability (to him, _"that's Kakashi-sensei's schtick"_). What he did like about it was its ability to sense, disrupt and amplify genjutsu to an obscene degree - and the strange flames he could suddenly make was a nice bonus as well. The reason his mindset changed so is because being a genius is double the heartbreak and disillusionment when you find out there's someone better than you, and he experienced it at the end of his education at the Academy after coming up in second place (to someone like Hyuuga Hinata, no less!).

But in hindsight, it ended up actually being a good thing, because by then, he started paying attention to all the other things they **didn't** teach in the Academy.

There was a few interesting readings on the "Mangekyo Sharingan" and its application to genjutsu, particularly a few treatises on its manipulative effect on one's sense of time and space...

Sasuke grinned evilly. _Jackpot._ His eyes flowed into the Sharingan, and then beyond, to absorb all the information within the scroll even faster...

...and that was then the stone walls of the Naka Shrine basement suddenly decided to light up and reveal their secrets to the boy.

Letters, words, sentences, paragraphs, and treatises began pouring wholesale into Uchiha Sasuke's brain.

He dropped the scroll he was reading, gripped his head, roared in agony for a full ten seconds before he mercifully passed out from the pain.

* * *

Barely five minutes had passed since the battle started.

The mission plan was to hold up the enemy group until their teammates could join the fray, but Naruto and Alicia were already convinced that their foes were of a higher tier than they were.

They did have the advantages of Devices and other surprises they'd reveal in time, but for now, playing the underdogs would suffice.

The guy who looked like his nose got into an epic battle with a door and lost suddenly revealed four other arms, each holding a kunai.

"Tell me, why am I not freaking out right now?" Alicia asked as she deftly dodged the hail of kunai from the strange Sound-Nin, darted past the one with the pointed chin and slashed at the redheaded kunoichi, who parried her Spellblade slash with her chakra-coated flute, before backpedaling from the incoming counterattack.

"Because we've seen even stranger things!" Naruto said while getting into a tangle with the heavyset and the white-haired one - the latter did most of the attacks as the former carried a strange bucket he assumed Sai was enclosed in. "Isn't this kidnapping?" he added as his dagger slash was parried by - were those bones jutting out of his arms?

"Think of it whatever you will - you will **not** impede our mission."

"Don't those things hurt?" Naruto asked as he dodged a slash from an elongated radius or ulna or whatever that medic-nin textbook called it.

"Bloodline thing."

"Oh," Naruto said as he jumped back and threw a brace of shuriken at the white-haired leader, who merely parried them with that bone sword-arm of his.

_What the hell is taking the cavalry so long?_ Naruto thought. _If this keeps up, I might have to pop a cartridge or two for Kage Bunshin!_

* * *

_He said he was going meet me for lunch after spending some time at what used to be the Naka Shrine and reading a few scrolls... but he's not here. I wonder where he is, _wondered Haruno Sakura as she entered the only building that was miraculously untouched by the invasion several weeks ago.

She put the bento box down at the dining table and waited.

Ten minutes had passed when she had finally had it and decided to go look for him.

She found him passed out on the shrine's basement, scrolls scattered here and there - it was to her credit that she did not panic but rather went back up, out the shrine door towards where she knew an ANBU was patrolling, and explained the situation.

She might not have forgotten the bento box, but Sakura still did freak out a little when she saw the medic-nin finally take Sasuke to the hospital.

* * *

It was just the pursuit team's bad luck to arrive a bit too late, as they saw Naruto cutting Alicia loose from being entangled in - are those spider webs? Not only that, the enemy group had taken off, leaving the heavyset one behind.

Nara Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at the tactic these Sound-Nin employed, and began mentally shuffling through his roster of teammates to see who would be the right person to take on this guy.

Sadly, he couldn't voice his opinions then as his teammate and friend Akimichi Chouji stepped right up to the plate and told everyone to continue the pursuit - he'd take care of this guy.

"You sure?" the shadow-user asked Chouji.

"Positive. Now get going, I'll follow as soon as I deal with him," Chouji said.

"What makes you think I'll let YOU do that?" asked the Sound-nin, but before he could form hand seals to try and impede the Konoha pursuit group, he flew back a couple of feet from the right cross Chouji threw.

"What are you waiting for? Go on, go!" he yelled.

"Fascinating..." Chouji's opponent said, stroking his chin as he watched the little drama unfold.

"What are you smiling at?" Chouji asked at his opponent when his team had finally left to pursue the remaining four Sound-nin.

"Leave it to you Leaf chumps to put up their big guy versus our team's big guy," the man said, smiling. "Real smart. The name's Jirobo, by the way."

"I-I-I volunteered!" Chouji said, taking the lull in conversation to strap on a set of metallic bracers to his forearms.

"Is that so?" Jirobo asked, taking a gradually wider stance as he shifted into his usual mode of combat.

"Yaargh!" Chouji yelled as he dashed in and aimed to end the fight early with one punch... only to fail miserably as the counter punch from the larger man knocked him back.

"Hmm, and they say Konoha-nin are the nicest ones around. I actually introduced myself and all you do is try and land one on me? Bad form, kid... bad form."

"My name is Akimichi Chouji... and I'm going to take you down!"

Jirobo cracked his knuckles. "We'll see about that... Chouji."

* * *

"You sure he's gonna be fine?" Alicia asked.

"Don't worry about him, he's been doing a lot of extra training!" Shikamaru said as the group dashed onward.

"INCOMING!" Hyuuga Neji yelled, and the group dispersed to avoid the strange bolts that were leveled at them.

"What the hell was that?" Naruto asked.

"More trouble," Kiba replied.

"Indeed," Shikamaru added. "They're going to try and slow us down one at a time so they can spirit their cargo out of here!"

Naruto winced slightly at the terminology his erstwhile teammate used. _Cargo?_

"It's the eight-armed one," Neji said, his Byakugan activated and scanning the immediate area. "We'll have to choose who the best match for him will be..."

"I'll do it," Naruto said. "Reynard and I can-"

Neji let out a little laugh. "Number One..."

"Yeah?" Shikamaru asked.

"Go on, I'll make sure Uzumaki here doesn't bite off more than he can chew."

Shikamaru gave the genin a chuckle. "Roger that."

The two of them then broke off before heading towards their target.

* * *

Jirobo of the Sound Five wasn't your run-of-the-mill special jonin.

If you asked him, he didn't even know how he ended up in Oto and part of the feared Sound Five, too. All he knew was that he started off as a sumo, got disgraced by a rival who employed some missing-nin, managed to fight them off before being rescued by a certain Orochimaru...

...and then he was set in learning jutsu, hand seals, and the basics of being ninja.

He single-handedly proved (aside from the Akimichi clan, but that's neither here nor there) that size didn't impede anyone from being an effective ninja - in fact, his biggest accomplishment was assassinating a high-level diplomat at a sumo match by simply throwing his opponent in sumo at him.

Sometime before he would be Branded with the Seal marking his status as a special jonin of Oto, he had discovered music, along with his fellow batch mates - who would end up being the Sound Five. Here he found that his other liking for hitting things and his little character quirk of regularity made him a perfect drummer. After the Branding, there was a short lull in which he had to orient himself to its effects. Then came the infiltration of Konoha, and now he was examining the irony of battling a fledgling Akimichi.

He smiled as he did a picture-perfect over-the-shoulder throw more often seen in aikido than in sumo, and smiled even wider as his opponent rolled off it and reversed the throw.

He got up quickly, and flashed a frighteningly intense smile at the boy.

"I'm not gonna waste your time with jokes about how the ladies must love your clan techniques," Jirobo said as he clapped his hands together and got down into a sumo stance. "My mission is to see the defector safe to my Master, at any and every cost."

Stomp. "If you want to catch up to your teammates..."

Stomp. "...you're gonna have to get through me first."

Stomp. "...Boy."

Chouji gritted his teeth. _This guy is tough! Should I use the medicine given to me, or is it too early to do so?_

_Screw this, _he thought as he went into the same sumo stance as his opponent, clapped a few times, and breathed in before charging at his opponent with a loud cry.

The impact of their collision sent a shockwave rippling all across the forest clearing.

* * *

"Chakra flare at our ten-o-clock."

"Thanks, Shukaku," the redhead said, before turning towards his teammates. "We've got a direction, so come on, let's go. They'll probably keep flaring chakra until we get a decent bead on them."

"You have an idea as to who we're after?"

"Maybe... maybe not. All we need to do now is our jobs, and that's one less worry over Sunagakure's head."

They nodded at his statement, and since the three of them had already arrived in Fire Country (sans Jiraiya, who had to get to Konoha pronto and dig up whatever he could about Orochimaru and Danzo's collusion), they were now at the heels of the Konoha pursuit squad, aiming to back them up (to pay off one of the "debts" incurred because of the invasion a few weeks before).

Gaara of the Desert narrowed his eyes at the whole situation. _What will Sound do next, why a defector, and is there more to this than the players of this game can see?_

He resumed this line of thinking as he and his sibling team continued their movement.

Chapter 26 - **END**

**a/n:** Here we go, fight scene time! I swear, writing down the next few chapters will be bloody freaking murder as I shift from each one-on-one fight to another in the narrative. And that's not covering all the weirdness about to go down in Konoha.

Anyway, you'll notice that I've taken a few liberties with the MGLN timeline regarding the discrepancy between Precia's actual age (in the MGLN universe) and perceived age (in this story). This is not accidental and will be explained much, much later in the story (you can guess if you've read between the lines, feel free to make your guesses about where, how, and why the whole thing went down). Alicia's age discrepancy is likewise taken care of in this manner.

Also, Naruto's flight ability in an earlier chapter would have gone mostly unnoticed as 1) people would automatically assume it to be a chakra-enhanced leap; and 2) Naruto was instructed to be discreet about the skill, so he keeps the speed and altitude low and mixes a few chakra-powered-jumps with it when practicing it in town.

I might include a few paragraphs about Sakura's growth. I opted to go with the "Fight Club Ending Route" and have her "merge" with her other personality, hence her sudden increase in power - while I haven't actually written Sakura in a fight scene, whatever scene featuring her fighting will illustrate just how well the merging of personalities has occurred and how this merging of personalities actually makes her stronger, not weaker. She will, however, still slap down her teammates for being ecchi (and they both can't help it).

_Next chapter_: We go further into the Konoha-Oto gauntlet, a familiar face makes a comeback, more secrets about the Uchiha clan are revealed and things take an even stranger turn.

You can also volunteer to beta-read these chapters and help revise the older ones! I'd owe you an awful lot if you could do so. Either message me on the board, send me a message to my profile, or actually read my profile and check out other means on how to contact me.

Oh look, there's a "Review" link below! Why don't you click it and give me a bit of input on how I can make this fic better. All suggestions will be addressed on the message board - just click on my profile.


	27. Divide and Conquer

_short disclaimer:_ none of this is mine. you know the drill.

_long disclaimer:_ Naruto = Kishimoto Masashi; Nanoha = Seven Arcs; Grand Chase = KoG; The "Bilog na Hugis Itlog" song = Joey de Leon and the Sex Bomb Dancers; Ragnarok Online Philippines = Gravity and Level-Up! Games; Johnny Mnemonic = William Gibson; Pulp Fiction = Quentin Tarantino; Slayers = Kanzaka Hajime and Araizumi Rui; Eight-Legged Freaks = Dean Devlin; Plants vs. Zombies = PopCap Games; Left4Dead = Turtle Rock Studios and Valve; The Three Musketeers = Alexandre Dumas (pere), and none of the content referred to within this fic from the works mentioned before are meant to be passed off as my own. no copyright infringement is intended. this is a non-profit work, done **for LOVE OF THE GAME!**

_**foreword**_: _May bilog, may bilog na hugis itlog..._ (trans: It's a shape, it's a shape, it's an egg-like shape...) Finished this by 12:30pm on May 10, 2010, but because of the Philippine National Elections and an enterprising copper-wire thief, the Intertubes here have been gone since early this morning (and have now returned.

Oh yeah, I voted, too. Who did I vote for? _Sore wa himitsu da._

So, uh, Philippine Ragnarok Online and reading other neat Naruto fanfics over her is the reason why it took me this long to release this chapter. Not to mention, fight scenes are a total pain (no pun intended, Nagato) to write, so bear with me.

This chapter will probably notch my 100th review (knock on wood - sorry Yamato), and push my views past 25k.

What I'm trying to say about that is... thank you very much.

Thank you for putting up with my amateurish writing skills. I'm going to keep reading about things, subjects and techniques that will make me a better writer and Naruto: Arcane Heart a better story.

Something similar is just one chapter of "That Look", and it just tore through me like a kunai (quoting the ever-quotable "Team 8"). That's precisely the standard of writing I'm trying to reach. While I'm not at Trevanian-level yet, I'm slowly but surely getting there.

_"'You can't get there from here', the cliche went, but you could. I was getting there."_ - Shirley MacLaine

And if you could give me some assistance, I'll be more than happy to reciprocate to those in need! My doors are always open to people who need a beta reader.

By the way, the very first scene here was supposed to go in part 2, but I felt it necessary to add, just to give you guys a little bearing on the effects certain events have on the combined timelines.

One last thing before you begin reading: I'll be extensively rewriting the earlier chapters (and if my willpower may, everything up to here). I've already drawn out several scenes that will explain most of the (perceived) inconsistencies in the story (i.e. why Naruto - while he can spam Kage Bunshin - chooses not to).

With that done, here's chapter 27.

* * *

_Everything felt like it happened a lifetime ago. What I wanted was acknowledgment. What I received was a family._

_Who do you turn to when your world starts to unravel? Do you forge a path on your own, or do you look to the efforts of others to find a way?_

_Will you have the courage to take a stand or the humility to give the limelight away to another...?  
_

_Naruto: Arcane Heart will now begin._

_

* * *

__**Naruto: Arcane Heart**_

**Chapter 27: Divide and Conquer**

Several flickering candles were all the illumination a small bedroom had. Ventilation fans were placed into the walls to keep its air from becoming stagnant; and the light of the sun and/or moon never graced this chamber due to the lack of windows.

Silk sheets rustled somewhere as a woman groaned.

"I wonder how long do you have to keep doing this to yourself..." she said, groaning once more as she sat upright and stretched her arms. "I'm kind of tired of that 'martyr' aspect you have."

"Sorry..." another voice, this time gruff and deep, answered nearby. "It's just that... after everything that's happened, you're the only one I can show this face to. Does this mean you don't like the little 'arrangement' we have any more?"

She cupped his chin in her hand. "That wasn't what I said, silly... it's just that you're a bit too giving to me for your own good, you know."

"I can't help it. Other than this one, you're the only good thing I've left - the only thing I'm fighting for," he replied, kissing her on the forehead. "By the way, he came to me again last night."

Her eyes widened, and she quickly snatched the sheet up to try and cover herself on reflex. "H-h-he came? Last night? Right in the middle..."

The man smiled as those gray eyes of his twinkled. "You mean you didn't know? The last few times it was him, not me. Hope you don't mind us... 'sharing' you."

"Oh..." she said wistfully, letting the sheet down and lying on the bed again. "Leave it to you to come up with that solution, because you know the truth about who my heart has always belonged to. How can I say truthfully that I love you both when my heart tells me that I still love him more?"

"That's why we made the 'arrangement'," he said quietly, turning away so that she could not see the broken expression on his face. "It's not the best way to deal with something like this, but it's the best out of a bad list of alternatives, isn't it?"

"I suppose you're right..." she said. "Since he's done... what about you?"

"Me?" the man asked, suddenly wheeling around. "Why ask now?"

_No matter how much time has passed, you are still the same boy from long ago._ She smiled. "You, sir, have also forgotten the 'arrangement'. And you need to let off some stress, it's not healthy."

He laughed out loud before stopping abruptly and mouthing off a curse. "Here I thought we'd have today off," he said.

"What? What's wrong?" she asked.

"They've started moving. It's the perfect opportunity. All the collaboration with former associates has finally paid off."

"Paid off, huh?" she asked.

"Yes. We may have been robbed of our vengeance against one, but... it's high time we show the world what happens when a little salamander gets crushed by the fist of a vengeful god."

She smiled. "And then we'll start on our real mission."

"Come on, let's get ready," he said as he extended his hand towards her.

She nodded, let herself be pulled up, and the both of them stood from the bed and hurriedly made for the shower.

_This is for the best, _she thought. _So that there won't be people like us any more, and the age of children bereft of their childhood will finally come to an end._

_

* * *

_

A parried palm-thrust.

Shoulder throw.

Hip toss.

Armdrag.

Armbar.

Reversed body slam.

War cries echoed throughout the Fire Country forests as the random booms of impact sent leaves from nearby trees falling and birds taking to the air.

Both men wore beatific smiles on their faces as outside this contest of power, speed and technique, nothing existed. Nothing except the opponent, the next move, the next counter, the next movement.

And it was glorious.

One of them was actually thankful that despite crashing out of the Chunin Exam preliminary tournament, he carried on with his training, even going so far as to do extra research on an ancient prototypical combat form that most of the modern taijutsu schools had sprung from.

Akimichi Chouji saw his training pay off magnificently during the joint invasion of Konoha - when his father had found about the role he played in keeping the Sound-nin at bay, Chouji was told with a lot of confidence that this display of skill and teamwork would most likely get him a promotion to Chunin if they took the next exam.

Naturally, that had spurred him on to train even harder, which leads to here and now: he had found his warrior's heaven, and he had this strange Sound-nin to thank for it.

He may have been slightly disadvantaged when it came to raw technique, but his enthusiasm and youthful unpredictability more than made up for it.

The boy reared back and turned a full-body palm thrust into his Nikudan Sensha almost seamlessly, earning a gasp of surprise and then a loud guffaw of appreciation from his heavyset opponent.

And then Jirobo countered by rolling with his opponent until he rolled past.

"Not too shabby," he said as the Akimichi rolled to a halt and smoothly cancelled his technique. "You would have made yokozuna, had you been raised as sumo."

"Thanks, I guess."

"How do you suppose we up it a notch?" Jirobo asked, the familiar feeling of bloodlust awakening as dark markings began flaring across his skin.

"Come on, then!" Chouji responded as they both went into their favorite fighting stances.

* * *

Back in Konoha, Precia Testarossa and her young ward Momochi Haku were spending a half-hour break in a cafe just outside the Konoha General Hospital, where the feminine-looking chunin currently worked.

"Congratulations! So that's why you've been rather out of it lately. You've already gotten the Clan Establishment contract signed, with Hokage-sama's approval."

"Yes," Haku replied, briefly gazing at his reflection on the surface of the teacup before taking a sip. "And given the contract..."

"You know you could ask me and Alicia to take on retainer duties for you, right?"

"It's part of Zabuza-sama's final request, I know - but Naruto-kun needs you more than I do right now."

"That's true," Precia replied. She had been slightly disturbed when she received Jiraiya's report about Naruto's actions during the retreival trip. He may have made tremendous progress from the training during the trip and managed to fight off Orochimaru again, but during the process his skill set had been completely derailed.

"Precia-sama? Is anything the matter?" Haku asked.

"It's nothing..." Precia sighed in response. Sure, he had gotten his henge to work in ways few could understand, let alone replicate and learned a powerful attack jutsu - but the devotion he poured into learning them had caused him to neglect strategic and tactical thinking in favor of open combat.

Precia Testarossa sniffed disdainfully at these developments. _I'm still more mage than ninja. Maybe Naruto and/or Alicia think it's much better to be the former..._

She sighed again. "So how have you been teaching Naruto about elemental jutsu?"

"Pretty well so far," Haku replied. "He can do a decent Daitoppa, and..."

"Daitoppa? A Wind technique? But I thought his Element was..."

"That's the weird thing. He's got two primary affinities and a secondary one."

"Wind?"

"Wind **AND** water. Secondary affinity's fire."

Precia chuckled into her teacup. "Interesting... I wonder how long he'll take to combine both of those, and I'm sure you'll do your best to help him along. Anyway, we were talking about you getting a place of your own, and the subject turns to Naruto. Of course, you can get an apartment as soon as you can afford it - I'll even pitch in. But..."

Haku grinned. Leave it to someone like Precia-sama to do all that and leave the catch for the very end. "...and what would my end of the bargain be?"

"We have to meet here regularly for tea and talk. And you know, keep up the list of how many Konoha civilians and ninja still mistake you for a girl."

Haku laughed, causing Precia to grin at him. _Unbelievable, no matter how many times I hear it, it still unnerves me so. Even his laugh is girly. _"Yeah, the hospital staff played a downright nasty prank on me. Instead of 'Male' or 'Female', they put down 'Haku' under 'Gender' in my medical records!"

"Yeah, Hokage-sama's just like that."

"You can say that again. Anyway, the Yamanaka girl keeps pestering me for dates..."

* * *

"FREEEEEAAAAAAAAAKS! EIGHT-LEGGED FREAKS!"

Uzumaki Naruto had Reynard out and was warding off a horde of giant flesh-eating spiders, while his teammate erstwhile Hyuuga Neji was also doing the same, warding off spiders with glowing chakra-enhanced hands in the graceful, circular dance of death that was the Gentle Fist.

Several minutes ago, Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Neji were currently under cover and a safe distance away from where they were supposedly engaging the Sound-nin Kidoumaru in a life-and-death conflict.

When Neji had caught up with Naruto, they nearly got into loggerheads over the former's suggestion to the latter to use Kage Bunshin no Jutsu - Naruto wanted to get in their opponent's face and beat that in as fast as possible.

Neji - who by now had completely mellowed out to the point where Naruto nearly thought that he had teamed up with a different person - threw in a C-Rank mission he had with Team Guy involving a kidnapping: "in situations like this, if you want to go fast, go slow".

Naruto, the phrase drawing out his more devious side, immediately understood; and they both took up defensive spots while Naruto summoned several Kage Bunshin to scout and lure out their opponent.

And it was through this that Naruto understood their spiderlike opponent's game plan: scout his two foes' weaknesses and neutralize them.

His thoughts were broken when he saw a gaping Neji.

"Those are henge'd clones, right?"

"Yeah."

"How can your clones do Hakkesho Kaiten?"

Naruto grinned. Oh yeah, he did face off against Neji in the Chunin Exam finals and did a decent job in that fight. "It's a variant of a technique of mine that just looks like your Kaiten."

"I can see your Kage Bunshin at strange positions - wait, are you coordinating your clones to emulate the Byakugan?"

"We gotta keep up appearances," Naruto replied. He felt the rush of memory as one of his clones dispelled. The Spider guy was powering up. "Especially now."

Three minutes had passed since Kidomaru had activated his cursed seal, and was now spinning silken arrows to snipe at them with deadly precision.

His accuracy might have done well if not for the fact that one, every target he hit was a Kage Bunshin of Naruto henge'd into Neji; and two, Naruto had finally found the way by which they'd beat this strange arachnid Sound-nin.

"How childish," Neji had said when he finished hearing about the plan.

"Hey, it's not like we have all the time in the world to plan this one out, right?"

"I suppose so."

"Come on, we gotta Sub into those clones I used as the main bait."

"Hope your little plan works. I don't feel like being turned into an archery target."

"If this all goes according to plan, yeah," Naruto said as he activated his Device and his Barrier Jacket and dashed towards their arachnid-like opponent.

Neji just shrugged and followed Naruto into the fray - he spent the few minutes making out their opponent's tenketsu points with his Byakugan to block them when the timing was right.

He held himself off from reminding his teammate about "best-laid plans", because they both had that sinking feeling at the back of their minds that "no, this plan too crazy to work, and we should have a backup plan - no, several".

The Hyuuga had cooked up two plans and was halfway through the third when they used Kawarimi to swap into Naruto's Kage Bunshin and finally take the fight to the spider-like Sound-nin.

* * *

_**"Biological attack agent detected, Master."**_

"What's that talking sword of yours say again?" Kiba asked as the rest of team Konoha continued their pursuit.

"It means, one of our opponents either have a modified body or can modify their body," Alicia replied as they slowly gained on the group.

"Like what Chouji does?"

"You could say that."

_**"Biological attack incoming," **_Siegfried intoned.

"Stay still and stick together!" Alicia shouted as she raised her Device.

_**"Mag Deflectors," **_Siegfried acknowledged its Master's mental command as a pale yellow field of energy erupted around the Konoha-nin, preventing the thick miasma projected towards them from getting through.

"They're getting away!" Kiba said.

"Most concise statement I've heard all day," Shikamaru mused.

"How are we supposed to catch up to them now?" Alicia asked. "I can hold this barrier longer until that strange gas dissipates, but by then..."

"Leave it to me," Shikamaru said, fishing around in his ninja equipment pouch, coming up with a portable rebreather - which he handed over to the Inuzuka.

"Tell your partner to hold his breath until you dissipate the gas," Shikamaru said. "Alicia, hold the barrier until Kiba's done charging up for the Tsuuga... and then we break for the remaining two of them."

"You know where the gas is coming from, right Kiba?"

"Yeah, I got it. Don't move out until the gas completely dissipates, all right?"

"All right. On three?"

**"THREE!"**

The three of them finally made their move: Alicia overcharged the Mag Deflectors, causing the shields to explode outwards - at the same moment, Kiba launched into the spinning strike of the Tsuuga, flying towards the source of the strange gas.

What none of them expected was for Alicia to toss Shikamaru several feet into the air and then follow up.

"Gah!" a voice came as Kiba heard the crash of a successful Tsuuga attack.

As soon as the gas and rubble from the explosion cleared, a two-headed ninja cut Inuzuka Kiba's path towards his teammates off.

"Sound strategy, was it not?"

"Indeed it was. And that was a pretty good pun you just made."

The two heads laughed unnervingly before whipping out kunai.

"Akamaru... we're gonna have to get through these guys first, you up to it, partner?"

"Woof!"

_Of course you are. We went through those three months of remedial training with Kakashi-sensei after that almost-botched mission, then the one month of torture they called team training... yeah, we can do it._

He slid into his combat stance, nails beginning to lengthen further, beckoning his strange opponent to begin.

* * *

Deep down, Hatake Kakashi was a bit disappointed with his student.

Information overload - that's what the Godaime Hokage usually defined it as, seeing as she had her share of tending to shell-shocked Uchiha during the last war, a result of either overanalyzing something with the Sharingan or a sudden glut of information being funnelled by the Sharingan into its user's brain.

Fortunately, Uchiha Sasuke was made of tougher stuff than the usual, and Tsunade-sama didn't have to worry about bleeding from the ears, any damage to the temporal lobe, or modified memories.

But still, Sasuke had the Sharingan, he knew the risks of relying on that eye technique too much... did I neglect to teach him enough about it? Kakashi thought as he waited outside Sasuke's hospital room.

Sasuke's unofficial guardian had also leafed through the mind of the unconscious boy, finding nothing amiss, and that the Uchiha Clan techniques of encoding and recoding information into smaller nodes was perhaps the only reason why Sasuke's brain wasn't oozing out through his ears.

Yamanaka Inoichi finally finished his look into the boy's mind, and after sharing his findings with Hokage-sama, returned home to take a nap.

He didn't have to say how much this incident worried him, for he saw the Uchiha as somewhat of a nephew.

* * *

"Neji!"

"Hey, Neji!"

"What?"

"Hyuuga Neji!"

"Yes, you do not have to use my full name..."

"I suddenly feel like tomatoes right about now."

"Really?" the Hyuuga asked as he sent the giant summoned spider flying with two chakra-enhanced palm thrusts. It took Naruto that same "hundreds-of-kunai-out-of-nowhere" trick to pin down their opponent's massive summon - he would have gotten a few toads out, but after he had sliced one of those summoned spiders open with Reynard, his Device had given him some sort of warning regarding the spiders released their poisonous blood before being dispelled.

That meant summoning was out of the picture - for the moment.

Just as well, as he and Neji needed to be right within visual range for the trick to work.

"Nice, ripe, SQUISHY tomatoes! The ones where the seeds ooze out like a bad cold when you give them a nice big squeeze!" Naruto exclaimed before sending another hail of kunai flying towards his opponent.

"I don't know, Naruto..." Neji added. His Byakugan had seen their opponent tense a bit. _Here we go, it seems to be working, let's bring this further!_ "I got reminded of the time Suguru-niisan of the branch house walked into a door. Too bad Hokage-sama wasn't available back then, so he had to live with it for the rest of his life."

"That sucked."

"Yeah, what 'sucked' even more was that Hanabi-chan kept calling him 'Pig-Nose'! Poor guy."

"Ugh. Pig-Nose. Remind me not to get in your cousin's bad graces," Naruto said, deflecting an arrow with his daggers. _His aim is starting to be affected. More of this and he'll bring the fight to us. _"Which reminds me, someone in the Chunin Exams got kicked in the face pretty badly by Lee, or so he said."

"Yes, he did. Guy's nose looked like a pancake after that Konoha Senpuu."

Naruto nearly fell off the branch he was standing on and snorted with laughter. "Damn! We shouldn't be talking about those poor saps like that! It's not that medic-nins can't do plastic surgery, now can they?"

"It's not that - medic-nin's don't want to waste their chakra putting flat noses back together. As far as they're concerned, they wouldn't give two ryo about your nose if it was flat, squashed, or disfigured beyond belief - if you can still breathe through it, it's still working."

"STOP TALKING ABOUT MY NOSE, YOU LITTLE BASTARDs!" an angry voice echoed across the forest.

Naruto and Neji grinned at each other, only for them to shudder as a dark wave of chakra nearly overpowered them.

"Okay... now he's pissed."

"Yes, I do believe he is."

"He just blew his cover. Time for phase three," Naruto said as they reared up and charged at their foe... but the arachnid-like nin loosed the metallic arrow towards Neji before they could reach him...

The arrow went through the Hyuuga cleanly... only for what Kidomaru thought to be his target explode in a cloud of smoke.

Poof.

How disappointing.

Kidomaru felt a light tap towards his shoulder, and suddenly turned around, only to look into the blazing white eyes of Hyuuga Neji.

Kidomaru slashed at the Konoha-nin, but the flurry of attacks from his six arms were blocked by... two daggers?

That was when he felt the pokes from behind along his midsection and chest, and the tap to the back of the head. The last thing he felt before blacking out was the two boys chakra pushing off their feet as they hurried to catch up with their team.

_My nose isn't that bad-looking... it isn't! _Kidomaru thought before the pain at the sudden closing of his tenketsus dispelled his transformation and rendered him unconscious.

* * *

Sakon and Ukon were impressed. Not only had they required to go to level 2 of their cursed seal, they thought they had taken everything the boy could dish out, even a combined transformation with his nin-dog and a crushing fang attack that nearly incapacitated Ukon.

The boy was now effectively at half strength - after a failed gambit at marking them with his nin-dog, they sent an enhanced Goukakyu and Daitoppa ninjitsu combo towards it.

The nin-dog was barely grazed, but the damage had already been done. It would take a nearly suicidal charge for their opponent to get to his partner, and with their cursed seals they had him outnumbered two-to-one.

That was when he smirked and began a sequence of unfamiliar hand seals.

And then, the boy charged in, spinning furiously in what the twins knew to be the Tsuuga attack.

Except that mere moments before impact, crackling sounds were heard.

"Are those...?" Ukon asked.

"A thousand...!" Sakon added.

The crash of the impact clouded all four combatants...

* * *

"I heard about Sasuke... I hope he's gonna be all right," Yamanaka Ino said as the three kunoichi in the Konoha Twelve (sans Tenten) gathered over lunch.

"Yeah..." Haruno Sakura replied, still rather shaken after finding her teammate unconscious in the basement of the Uchiha Clan Compound.

"Well, Sakura-chan, you don't have to worry so much as the medics have already stabilized him," Ino said.

Sakura sighed.

"How admirable..." Hyuuga Hinata said. "If something had happened to Naruto-kun, I'm not sure I'd hold myself together as well as you do, Sakura-san..."

"It's even harder now, as so many things have happened in so little time," Sakura admitted. "I mean, ever since Kiba-kun and Sasuke-kun and I teamed up under Kakashi-sensei, it's been like a rollercoaster ride."

She shrugged. _It took us most of the team training after that mission to get my other self to emerge... and after Kakashi-sensei's training, it's as if the other me isn't there anymore... Kiba-kun and Sasuke-kun noticed that I've become a more assertive person after that..._

"Yeah, and after that team sparring session, it looks like what my team and I had been doing in training looks like a little stroll to the park compared to yours, Forehead," Ino said, interrupting Sakura's reverie. "Still, because of all the changes going around, Asuma-sensei cleared me to take up medic-nin classes at the hospital - he says that with all our team training, my control's gone up to an even higher level than he previously thought."

"Or maybe... you're just saying that 'cause you wanna be close to Haku-chan, Ino-pig," Sakura replied, her exasperation gone for the meantime, replaced with a teasing look.

"Enough about that! Hinata, how are **YOU** doing in that regard? Everyone here knows you have it bad for Uzumaki..."

"W-w-what?" Hinata stammered out, suddenly turning red.

"Ignore Ino-pig," Sakura said. "You'll know when the right opportunity to say what you feel about him comes out... or you could go about it like my parents."

"Your parents?" Hinata asked.

"Mom always goes, 'you're such a skilled boss, Darling'; while Dad always goes 'no matter what time of day, you always smell great, Honey'," Sakura explained. "Besides, we're still young, still genin, and we're still looking forward to many things, right?"

"Yeah!" both kunoichi responded.

"Now how about we go drop by Sasuke-kun a little later and see how he's doing? Of course..." Ino added, "...we should probably get something presentable to wear, right?"

"Right!"

* * *

_Am I... alive?_

_That last attack wasn't... lethal?_

Kidomaru of the Sound Five opened his eyes and looked around - he was still in the forest where those two brats from Konoha used one of the oldest tricks in the book on him... and it worked.

_Damn it all, this hurts. _He silently cursed himself. _I'm technically at jonin level, and I fall for a cheap freaking genin-taught trick like that... Chief's not gonna like what I have to say when I come back..._

_...wait, what's that?_

He felt a summoned spider of his dispel, sending its memories to him as part of his bizarre bloodline limit that gave him spider-like powers. It was like that story about the ninja who got bitten by a radioactive spider...

...enough about that, Kidomaru thought - he got sick of that damned story when he read the absolutely ridiculously-written chapter about the hero offering his marriage in exchange for...

_...Seriously, who the hell writes that crap? And what the heck is that?_

He quickly used a minor variant of Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu on himself to carve out a trap door to hide in, and not a moment too late.

He heard light footfalls, creaking branches, and chakra flashes, which was the telltale sign of a rather large group of ninja on the move.

_Are those the Boss' reinforcements? I'm pretty sure he would send those in closer to his territory..._

...he didn't bother thinking any more as that little Earth jutsu exhausted what little chakra he had been saving up for, and the closed tenketsus aching caused Kidomaru to go under again.

* * *

He opened his eyes.

_Bright lights, fresh air... so, I'm at a hospital._

**_The Secret To The Sharingan Is Not In Its Abilities But In Its Origins The Real Power Of The Sharingan Lies Not In One Path But In Several The Sharingan Evolves Through Various Means And It Is Only Now That I Have Rediscovered Most Of What Was Lost At Too High A Price Because I Am Now Going Down The Damned Road_**

**_THE ROAD OF THE DAMNED_  
**

_That voice in my head is still talking._

"Nurse... water... if you please."

_It feels refreshing to take even a few sips, but the sensation only delays the words spilling into my head again..._

_**The Damned Road Is The Only One The Clan Discovered So Far I Am Unsure About The Clan Discovering Other Paths To Follow**_

"Could... could... I have a scroll...? And a pen?"

_**As The World Is Divided Into Two Halves And As Chakra Is Split Into Two Components The Sharingan Takes On Two Major Paths In Its Evolution**_

"My apologies, Uchiha-sama, but hospital protocol says..."

"...I understand standard hospital protocol, Nurse-san..." My head still echoes with the words. "...but I ended up here because of Sharingan-induced information overload... I've started several ways to pour out the excess information, so I need to write down the backwash lest I overload again..."

_**The Dark Path Begins When You Sever The Bonds Of Those Closest To You**_

"Oh! But of course, Uchiha-sama."

**THE DARK PATH IS WHEN YOU SEVER THE BONDS OF THOSE CLOSEST TO YOU**

"Thank you."

_**The Start Of The Dark Path Leads To Even Worse Evil**_

_A scroll, and a pen._

_**The Path Of Heaven**_

_I begin to write._

_**The Path Of Creation**_

_And write._

_**These Are The Research Notes Of Uchiha Madara Regarding The Sharingan And The Uchiha Genome.**_

_And write some more._

* * *

They were making good speed towards their team, but Hyuuga Neji was worried.

It was the sort of feeling he had in the Chunin Exams, too. He had taken a little rest after the fight with Naruto, whereupon he had awoken to an oppressive feeling constricting his chest.

Suna and Oto invaded mere moments afterward, and after plowing through the Sound-Nin, the Hyuuga genius thought to trust that gut feeling.

And right now, he had felt something like back then... only now, it had a worse timbre to it... like everything that would happen between now and until the day would end meant the start of something.

He didn't know what it was yet - but he was sure it would be massive.

Neji wanted to tell his teammate this, but he knew the Uzumaki was also on edge - there was no need to send a fellow Konoha-nin's self-preservative sense of paranoia into overdrive.

* * *

Gekko Hayate wasn't one to space out, but yes, he was currently lost in a daydream... right in the middle of falling in line for lunch at the Konoha Ninja Academy, even.

The former special-jonin and now Academy instructor in the Basic and Advanced Weapons courses took the spaced-out moments to think on just how freaking lucky he'd been.

It all started when Ebisu pawned off his charge(s) because the glasses-clad special jonin had a few debts to square with a certain jonin-sensei with an incurable habit of reading porn in public.

What had started out as a rough introduction with Sarutobi Konohamaru, Mitokado Moegi and Utatane Udon quickly ended up with the three Academy students on the floor after a failed team-up attack had the then-Special Jonin defend himself on reflex.

Expecting a long talking-to from Hokage-sama (may the kami grant him rest in the Shinigami's belly), he was floored when the Hokage's grandson actually placed in a lot of good words for him, and all three students wanted to learn kenjutsu along with their other Academy subjects. Here Hokage-sama had echoed his own words: _"Kenjutsu is not just the art of quick and graceful death; it is a way of expression, a lament of the transitory nature of life."_

Hayate's eyebrows crinkled a bit when he heard Hokage-sama say that his grandson had found the special-jonin the coolest ninja he'd ever seen - if not for that cough... and so he went into the training expecting three spoiled brats waiting to be pampered, but was completely surprised when those three took what he said about the art of the sword to good use.

This was the reason he stayed behind a bit that fateful night - to look at a few wooden swords he could give the three students to practice with. A few days ago, Hayate had already started them on reading the scrolls on the sword katas and basic kenjutsu theory, and it was then that they could move onto actual drills.

Gekko Hayate wasn't a superstitious man, but seeing that little incident with the Suna contingent and the diplomatic observer-slash-spy from Kumo led him to believe that getting these three students under his wing was some sort of divine intervention.

Day after that, he'd told his friend Shiranui Genma that he was going to voluntarily demote himself to teach kenjutsu at the Ninja Academy... and Genma reacted in his usual manner. Of course, this was practically his best friend, as they'd talk about various subjects as they went about their work.

Hayate gigggled a bit as he looked over at the day's menu and remembered the last "meaningful" conversation he had with his friend while preparing for the Chunin exams...

"...you know what they put on karaage in Kirigakure instead of oyster sauce?"

"What?"

"Ketchup."

"**GODDAMN!**" Hayate exclaimed before going into a coughing fit.

"Literally drown 'em in that stuff," Genma added.

"Yuck," Hayate replied.

Come to think of it, Genma took his declaration better than expected.

"Better you staying behind and teaching kids," he had said. "I would have thought you'd have turned in your hitai-ate and started walking the earth or something..."

It was then that a tap on the shoulder shook the former special-jonin and now Academy teacher out of his reverie.

"Hayate-kun."

"Yuugao-chan!" Hayate said at the kunoichi who had tapped him. "What are you doing here?"

"The line already went forward," she said, faking a pout.

"Oh," Hayate added. "Heh-heh... anyway, why are you here at the Academy?"

"Hokage-sama cleared me to do some part-time teaching work," she answered. "We both graded down, remember? I'm going back to being a jonin-sensei and you're now teaching kenjutsu here. Besides, it wouldn't do for me to just stay at home, what with Hokage-sama giving me twelve to fourteen months off duty..."

"Twelve... to fourteen months...?" Hayate asked. "That seems a bit too long for an ANBU to reintegrate, unless..."

Several moments passed before Gekko Hayate finally put it all together.

And then he raised his hands into the air and let out a massive whoop before grabbing his fiance in a hug and spinning her around the cafeteria like one of those scenes in the sappy romantic movies he secretly liked (but didn't let nearly everyone know)[note 1].

"I'm gonna be a father! Yeah! All right! This is the best week ever! Not only is that annoying cough of mine gone courtesy of Hokage-sama, I'm also gonna be a dad! Whoo!" he yelled happily while spinning her fiance around. "We're gonna get married in two weeks, Yuugao-chan and I!"

"Way to go, Hayate-sensei!" Konohamaru (how the heck did he get over here, anyway?) said before letting out a few whoops of his own.

"Congratulations, Hayate-sensei, Yuugao-sensei!" Moegi added, clapping her hands as her eyes twinkled and face reddened at the sight.

Everyone at the cafeteria followed suit, some even adding a few whistles and whoops at the applause.

And then, the moment ended on an epic note as Hayate finally put down his fiance, giving her a light peck on the cheek, earning more cheers and a few "Awwwww"'s from the people in the cafeteria.

It was a rather sheepish Hayate that finally went to his table to go have lunch with his fiance when the other new member of the faculty decided to youthfully drop in.

"Good news, my youthful colleagues!" Might Guy said as he sat on the cafeteria table opposite the couple. "Hokage-sama has cleared my dear genin Lee for prosthetic surgery for the next week! We are on track to resume our rise to the top of the ninja world through hard work and guts!"

Hayate shot his fiance a sad look - even if Rock Lee would get his prosthesis to work, the most he could get was something that could function for the most basic of civilian functions.

Returning to being an active ninja was a distinct impossibility for the boy who had the dress, the eyebrows and the worldview to match the man sitting before them, going into his lunch enthusiastic at the news.

Yuugao shrugged and grabbed on her fiance's arm just a little bit tighter - he got the message, and decided to say nothing about how Rock Lee's ninja career was technically over.

Every silver lining has its own cloud, and Konoha was no exception.

* * *

It was the third time in five minutes that Shukaku's head popped out of Gaara's gourd.

"Shukaku, is something the matter?" Gaara asked.

"Yes, you've been seemingly uneasy for the past few moments. Anything we can do?" Kankuro asked. Everything had changed for the three Sand Siblings after that fight in the forest and the Sannin intervened with help from a fellow Sage in changing up and strengthening the Seal of their youngest brother.

Now, Shukaku was no longer something to be feared (though he still had the same power, if not more, than before his seal was fixed), and the few weeks they had to work together, they found that the sand tanuki was quite genial, if a little childish and a little too happy at seeing something explode, get destroyed, or crash.

"I'LL STAIN MY HANDS WITH YOUR BLOOD..." Shukaku stage-whispered, and frowning when it didn't have its intended effect, "Sorry about that, there's something in the trees that just doesn't feel right to me."

"We've been around these forests, right?" Gaara asked. "Temari, Kankuro?"

"Yes, we have, Gaara-kun..." Temari replied softly, still unsure at how to react at the on-the-level tone given to her and the puppeteer. "But you were... at the time..."

"Oh..." Gaara replied. "Still, stay on alert. Shukaku doesn't get jumpy like this often, and when he does, a lot of bad things happen really quickly."

The three of them (plus a sentient mass of chakra with a psychic link to a gourd full of sand) decided to keep silent from then on as they went to the aid of the Leaf-nin pursuit team...

* * *

Alicia Testarossa didn't like failing.

Not only because it would make her look bad, but that because it would disappoint her mother.

She wasn't like that now, but Alicia decided to ply the safe route and assume that if she'd disappoint her mother, things would get really messy, really quickly.

...even if she did tell her mother that she had seen most of what happened to Fate through her dreams, she still wasn't sure that her mother was who she said she was - changed for the better.

Alicia pawned it off to her ninja training, but that was a lie to herself.

She felt her sister's pain.

She felt her sister's fear.

And that was the one thing she hadn't told her mother yet.

Now, though, there were a lot of different things on Alicia's mind: like how to fight off several hulking undead with only her ninja skills to go on, as Siegfried worked overtime to deflect the effects of the auditory genjutsu this redheaded Sound-nin was casting on her and Shikamaru.

At this moment, she envied her fellow Konoha chunin for having earplugs: to wear whenever his teammate either got herself into a fangirl frenzy over Uchiha Sasuke before, and Momochi Haku now.

Or when they'd botch a teamwork run or training session, that was when he'd really need the earplugs.

He even got them for Asuma-sensei and poor Chouji, who - he deduced - was now partially deaf.

She just shrugged and got her kunai crackling with lightning chakra for the whip technique her mother reverse-engineered from that fight with the jonin-sensei from Hidden Cloud. Either she could bind the summons and go for the summoner, or ignore the summons and go straight for the summoner...

Nara Shikamaru tapped her on the shoulder and shook his head before gesturing in code.

_Pincer attack, shadow bind as a distraction, use charged kunai to further the ruse._

She nodded - this was the first decent idea they'd run across since they saw the redhead beckon to the white-haired member to keep going with the bucket.

They sprang from cover: Alicia firing off a hail of kunai towards the likely spots this strange flute-playing nin was using, and Shikamaru beginning to bind the last of her summoned zombies.

"I don't want zombies in my forest!" Alicia shouted rather forcefully as she condensed the Kairyushin no Jutsu to a razor-sharp wire of lightning chakra, slicing two bound zombies to ribbons and getting one in half.

But that was what their opponent had wanted - they were now wasting their time with her, Kimimaro was now just a few kilometers towards the Valley of the End, and then they'd bring home their mission objective!

_Now to make sure they return home in wooden boxes, _Tayuya thought as she grinned evilly, horns beginning to grow out of her head as the power granted to her by the Cursed Seal began to flow.

She made to summon the strongest variants of her zombies: the ones she nicknamed Boomer, Tank, and Hunter - but stopped short as she sensed two chakra signatures approaching, and fast.

_They took Kidomaru out? This quick? _she thought, panicking briefly. _Oh well, I'll bring in the Witch to this little party._

Her plan to bring in the strongest of her summons was waylaid briefly as a sudden rush of attacks had her on the defensive. After Tank had taken the hits meant for her and Hunter had launched a counterattack that got her assailant to back down, Tayuya got a good look at her opponent, and let out a low whistle.

"Ooh, a cutie," she said. "Too bad by the time I'm done with you, you're not gonna be as cute."

Her white-eyed assailant caught the gist of her plan and charged to try and stop her from summoning more of those things, only to get warded off by her incredibly powerful zombie summons easily, allowing her to start the hand seals.

Tayuya's grin still hadn't left her face by the time she had finished the sequence for the summoning technique... but by that time, the other chakra signature had darted past her summons AND area-of-effect genjutsu and was now bearing down towards Kimimaro...

_**HOLY FREAKING CRAP! **_she thought as she successfully summoned the Witch into the forest clearing. _What in the hell was that thing? It was too fast for anything I could do to stop it!_

Before relaying her initial orders to her latest summon, she played a small tune on her flute, warning her last teammate that a threat was about to converge on him - quickly.

"Dear mother of Amaterasu..." was all Nara Shikamaru managed to say as he, Alicia Testarossa and Hyuuga Neji saw the four massed undead warriors which their opponent managed to summon.

Tayuya again flashed them that grin which promised a lot of pain. _Let's see you try **THESE **on!_

The four summoned warriors charged at the three Konoha-nin.

* * *

Inuzuka Kiba was in a whole lot of trouble.

Not only had his last-minute using of Chidori Tsuuga failed, he didn't reach Akamaru, he didn't damage his opponents, and he was now dangerously low on chakra.

"What say you, brother? Shall we start with a leg?" Ukon asked, his visage now appearing like an oni mask's, colored red.

"I digress, dear brother. We should go for an arm," Sakon answered, his masklike face blue.

"But it is a pity for one so skilled to meet his demise in such a fashion."

"Such is the way of life for ninja, dear brother."

"Indeed. Such sadness, but then again, this is our occupation, and we are not supposed to empathize with our foes."

"Shall we begin the technique, brother?"

"By all means... but not now. Something bears down upon us."

"What could it be?"

"I do not know."

"Do you want to send the dog?"

"He wouldn't want to go there. Besides..." Ukon trailed off.

"Besides...?"

"They are bearing down onto us rather swiftly. Congratulations, dog-tamer. Your reinforcements have arrived."

"Reinforcements...?" Kiba asked, confused.

_What's going on? I'm cornered and just about out of chakra... and now more reinforcements...?_

_I'm so screwed..._

_

* * *

_

Kimimaro Kaguya was, second to Orochimaru of course, the best weapon fighter in Sound - having that bone-manipulating Bloodline Limit certainly helped, and the Cursed Seal went a long way in improving his already formidable ability.

Add in a little fact that through a little creative outsourcing by Otokage-sama's good graces, he was here, hale, hearty, NOT sick, and about to raise his arm in defending himself against a slash from a blonde Leaf-nin wearing a strange gray coat with aqua blue flames over a chunin vest and a dark blue ninja outfit...

"...For someone who was trained by ANBU, your stealth is lacking," he offhandedly told the boy, who he sent flying by a counterattack.

"Where'd you put Sai?" Naruto asked.

"Ever so straightforward," Kimimaro replied. "The Curse Seal has completed its transformation of him. He's gone on ahead of me."

"Damn it!"

"If you think I'm lying, here's the bucket we put him in," Kimimaro said as he hurled the empty wooden pail towards the boy.

Naruto roared in frustration and flashed forward, his eyes glowing purple as he smashed through the bucket like it wasn't there and fired a Thunder Slash towards his opponent, catching him in the midsection...

"How'd you like that?" Naruto asked.

"...am I supposed to be impressed by an attack whose only claim to fame was a lucky shot in between the Boss' eyes?" Kimimaro asked in that annoyingly calm voice of his.

What frustrated Naruto even more was that this white-haired Sound-nin was probably copying Sai's tone of voice to ruin his concentration, and it was working!

"Ugh!" Naruto shouted as he pressed the attack, only for his slashes and kicks to be blocked by bony outgrowths.

"You won't beat me in a straight-up taijutsu fight, Chunin," Kimimaro replied as he knocked Naruto aside with a blow to the face.

After Naruto rolled off the punch and returned to his stance, he sent a mental command to his Device: "Cartridge Load".

_Let's see you try this on for size, bone boy._

_**"Scimitarform!"**_

_**

* * *

**_

"What in the name of all that's pure are these things?" Hyuuga Neji said as he was forced to fall back on his jonin-sensei's fighting style, kicking the Boomer aside as despite being made of chakra, the Gentle Fist proved nigh-useless against these summoned things.

"Big trouble, that's what!" Alicia said, knocking around the Hunter with a kick as she rolled off the Tank barreling towards her. "Shikamaru-kun, need you here!"

"Bit busy here!" Shikamaru said, trying to avoid a messy death by a very scary and very troublesome Witch running towards him, aiming to scratch his eyes out. _Too fast for me to use Shadow Bind!_ he thought.

"Reynard's relayed me a message: Naruto as he is now can't fight off that last Sound guy without exhausting himself!" Alicia said as she stunned Boomer with a Ragna Bolt before kicking the Hunter in the face. "Someone needs to go and team up with him!"

"I'll probably not have enough chakra left to be of any help!" Shikamaru replied as he failed to catch the Witch's shadow again.

"Is that a close-combat specialist?" Neji asked Alicia. "Have that sword of yours ask Naruto if he's up against a close-combat specialist!" Neji added as he blew the Tank off its feet with a chakra-powered palm thrust.

"Yeah, it is!" Alicia added as she dodged another team-up attack.

"Then I'm not in any shape to continue, Alicia-san," Neji replied as he kicked the Witch in the face to let Shikamaru recover his reserves for whatever little time he could, only to run into another Witch.

More dodging and weaving, and the three Leaf-nin were now surrounded by dozens and dozens of these inordinately-powerful things.

One thought was on all three of their minds: genjutsu.

"I can feel the chakra being used to keep this illusion together," Neji said. "Alicia-san, if you will, Shikamaru and I have a plan to bust you through the lines and get you to back Naruto-kun up."

"You sure you two'll be okay versus those things?" Alicia asked, readying her weapon.

"Positive," Shikamaru said. "What would genius mean if we couldn't use it in a pinch?"

"Yes," Neji added. "We can't outfight these things, so we'll need to outsmart the summoner."

"Good luck, you guys... and stay safe."

"Understood, ma'am," Neji replied.

"Yeah, yeah," Shikamaru added. "Neji, ready?"

"As I'll ever be," the Hyuuga answered, gathering torsion in his body and channeling chakra.

"Now!"

"Kaiten!"

"Boost up!"

* * *

"You have potential, boy," Jirobo said as he looked at the slumped-over form of his opponent. Both of them had gone significantly all-out in their test of might against each other, Chouji taking two of three of of his family's secret clan pills and Jirobo upgrading his Cursed Seal to level two.

"Yet you seem to rely more on pure strength rather than... hatakki komi."

That was a phrase Chouji rarely ever heard, even in the sumo matches he tries to usually catch on TV.

"And what's this? Potato chips?" Jirobo asked, picking up a bag that had fallen off Chouji when he had been launched into the air. "Silly boy. You use food too much for bulk to be a gourmet, and eat for taste too much to be a true sumo."

He grabbed a handful of chips and began eating them.

"Not too bad..." Jirobo said. "But you're still a large mass of wasted potential. It is true that you can take the sumo out of the ninja, but you can't take the ninja out of the sumo. Pity. That smart friend of yours would probably get my drift and put it together faster than you can. And by then you'd be left behind by everyone you see to be your friend."

He held in his hand the last chip in the bag.

"What then?"

His eyes widened.

Chouji was about to grab the last pill - the red pill - when his opponent stopped short of eating the last chip in the bag, only to return it to the bag and toss said bag over to him.

"Eat it," Jirobo declared, his eyes growing hard once more. "It appears we have an audience."

* * *

'That is auditory genjutsu', Shikamaru handsigned Neji as they were under cover of the vicious assaults of the four unbelievably powerful summons of their opponent Tayuya.

'_So she uses these things as diversions so she can cast her illusions from safety?'_ Neji asked, now communicating with his teammate via handsigns because both their ears were now plugged up with the earplugs Shikamaru used to keep fangirl teammate noises away.

_'Yes, that and this genjutsu is dispersed enough for me not to be able to hear where she's coming from. Maybe she changes her location periodically.'_

_'You said that sound travels in waves, right?' _Neji asked. _'It's theoretically possible, but my Byakugan can probably see wave formation. It's the best shot we've got, so...'_

_'The question now becomes, how do we get past those things when they're too fast for you to catch their shadows?'_

_'Your Divination Field could slow them down...'_

_'Yes, yes, it might... and it might help me triangulate where she's casting her spells from so you can go and tag her with your shadow. How are your chakra reserves?'_

_'I'm good.'_

_'Don't lie to me, I can see your hands shaking.'_

_'My shadow bind is only good for ten seconds tops, Neji.'_

_'Curses.'_

_'Yeah, I know. Any other plan?'_

Crash.

_'We run.'_

And run both of them did, finding another spot to hide in as the Witch had found them and was now chasing them pell-mell across the forest floor...

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto was now nearing the Valley of the End, the legendary battleground where Senju Hashirama fought Uchiha Madara in perhaps the most epic battles of ninja ever recorded - they even commissioned statues of the two to commemorate this momentous event.

Right now, the boy was unconcerned about that - he was both thankful and apprehensive over Alicia-oneechan and his teamup attack that left him a clear line to dash towards where he knew Sai was going - the Valley of the End.

Mere moments earlier, while Alicia had gotten into a furious exchange of weaponry with Kimimaro, Naruto had dispelled his Device, trying to fool his opponent into thinking he was out of the fight.

Out of ideas, that was being quickly remedied. Out of chakra, not even close.

Well, if he didn't focus solely on Alicia-oneechan, that glaive would get that guy with the white hair, and even in practice sessions with Alicia and Siegfried, that damned Glaive Form was a solid pain in the you-know-what.

This was a weapon that matched Kimimaro's reach, speed and power - but Alicia herself was much faster than her opponent, and Kimimaro only figured it out now.

When Naruto saw that his opponent's attention was directed mostly on Alicia, he made his move: hand seals, elemental chakra channeling, and finally the finishing release...

"**Fuuton:** Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto bellowed as four clones materialized from the winds that billowed around him.

Kimimaro stopped for a moment to gaze in disbelief at the advanced skill this boy had, which gave Alicia the chance to slash and stab at her foe with the Infinity Sword, which the wind clones of Naruto followed up with a few hits of their own.

It only took Kimimaro several seconds to dispatch those annoying wind clones and take the fight to Alicia, but by the time he did, Naruto was already long gone, leaving the strange blonde girl for him to battle.

"How brave of you to hold the line for your teammate, Chunin," Kimimaro said.

"Thank you," Alicia replied, tensing her hold on Siegfried just a little more as she adjusted her stance. _Three cartridges so far. This isn't going to be easy..._

"However, it's going to take a lot more than good teamwork to make it in our world..." Kimimaro replied ominously as black symbols started spreading across his body...

* * *

"Yo."

Kakashi finally got the free time to visit his rather foolish student in the hospital.

Earlier in the day, what he got was his ear nearly yelled off by Hokage-sama, a new inclusion in the Hokage's personal storage of Forbidden Scrolls, and several weeks worth of glorified ninja chores for him and his team.

Not to mention if he arrived late, one of his precious orange books would be destroyed. _How awful! How mean! How low to get me not to be late._

"You didn't check the walls, Kakashi?" a very irate Tsunade had asked.

"I did, Hokage-sama."

"With your Sharingan, too."

"Of course, Hokage-sama!"

"Then how can you explain this?" asked Tsunade as she showed him a document with all of the incriminating details thankfully blacked out.

Kakashi wasn't sure he would remain conscious himself if he saw those blacked-out phrases; the portions that the Godaime allowed him to read were borderline treasonous!

"I... I think I'll go have a word with my student."

"You'd better. I'll schedule a meeting with you two dummies first thing when he gets out of the hospital."

Sasuke gaped a bit as he saw his sensei shudder at some recent memory. "Kakashi-sensei..."

"Just one question, Sasuke. What the hell happened?"

"Sensei, do you remember that I would tell you all about the black flames I used back then?" Sasuke asked, surprisingly subdued.

"All right, now's probably a good time to hear your story," Kakashi answered.

_Thus Sasuke began telling his version of the Chunin Exam finals to his sensei, starting at his fight with Gaara..._

"Sai!" Naruto yelled towards the black-clad form who was taking leaps from tree branch to tree branch towards a cliff overlooking the statues of Senju and Uchiha.

The former ROOT ANBU looked quizzically at the dark-blue-clad chunin as he finally reached Sai.

"Glad I found you! You'd best return to Konoha, there have been too many strange things happening now!"

"Of course," Sai replied in a tone that sounded strange to Naruto. "And things will get stranger and stranger... but that won't mean I'm returning. This is cutting my ties, and cutting them cleanly."

"What do you mean? And why are you doing this? Aren't you loyal to Konoha?"

Sai laughed viciously.

"Loyal? To Konoha? You'd best be joking, boy."

Naruto's eyes widened. _Sai never called me that._

"I'd never be loyal to a village that was never loyal to me in the first place."

Sai charged at Uzumaki Naruto, slashing downward with his ninjato only to be parried by Naruto's two daggers...

...and then he flowed with the block and slashed forward, causing the former ROOT-nin to jump back.

"You've gotten a few new tricks, I see..." the ninja who went by the name Sai said, adjusting his stance. "This won't be as boring as last time."

"Believe that," Naruto spat out as he resummoned his Barrier Jacket and took the fight to his about-to-defect teammate.

_"My Sharingan changed..." Sasuke said. "When... when the sand was about to squeeze me to death, I thought of all my dreams, and then all I thought about was me dying... and then..."_

"Who are you? And what have you done with my teammate Sai?" Naruto finally bellowed out as they drew back after yet another undecided clash of weaponry. Naruto thought his daggers would give him the speed advantage, but Sai was too quick and too smart to be overcome by something like that.

_I can see the drop of water!_

"There is no Sai." And there was that really cryptic talk to worry about, too.

_"Black flames... my eyes spewed black flames. And then I was free of Gaara's sand."_

"What do you mean, there's no Sai?" Naruto replied.

_"I felt the same way when I saw the scrolls at the Clan compound about a higher level of the Sharingan... and then..."_

"How about I show you what I mean when I say that Sai is... gone?" he asked quietly.

_"...there were words, all over the walls, and these words all went crashing into my mind. It hurt so much, I passed out... when I woke up, I used our clan technique of discharging excess information... gave a copy to Hokage-sama, I'm the clan leader now and I don't want any secrets that could spawn another Itachi..."_

It looked to Naruto that Sai was peeling off his face, just like one of those disguise masks... and when it came off, something completely different came into view.

_"Sasuke..." Kakashi said, and there was a tinge of fear in his voice, which intrigued him._

Purple eyes bored into blue ones as Naruto gasped: Sai's face had gotten a bit more tanned, his eyes had changed from an inky black to a deep purple, and his hair had slicked up and branched in many different directions, much like what an unholy alliance of his and Mr. Uchiha's hair would look like.

_"Sensei? Why... what's going on?" Sasuke asked, confused._

"If you really don't know anything about what's going on, here's something for starters: Sai never really existed. He was a surrogate personality whose memories and skills I've now assimilated into my own."

_"Look into a mirror, Sasuke. Your Sharingan..."_

"Sai's dead?" Naruto asked. His denial of the situation before him didn't help things at all.

_Uchiha Sasuke got the bedside mirror and got the surprise of his life when he saw his eyes in the reflection..._

"Sai was never alive. Or better yet, you can think of him as a part of me now. My name..." the young man who said he wasn't Sai said, smiling as he unsheathed his ninjato and brought it down in a reverse grip reminiscent of Naruto's own dagger form... and a burst of cognizance flashed through Reynard as an ancient memory awakened...

_"Sasuke... your Sharingan... it's changed..." Kakashi said as his student gasped at the sight of his eyes... instead of three black tomoes whirling around a scarlet iris, his eyes had turned black... all except for three whirling red blades around the pupil._

_**That stance! It couldn't be... It can't be...**_

_"Mangekyo..." Sasuke whispered, confirming both their suspicions._

_Reynard, what's going on?_

_**This is impossible. I always thought running into Ronan and Elesis was strange enough, but this...! It's...**  
_

"...is Sieghart," the young man said before giving Naruto the scariest grin he'd ever seen.

_"...Sharingan..." Kakashi finished._

_**...Sieghart!**_

Chapter 27: **END**

**

* * *

**

**a/n:** Yes, this is now officially a Naruto / Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha / Grand Chase crossover fanfic, with even more stuff crossing over on the horizon. Believe THAT!

And here we stumble upon Team Konohamaru's new inspiration - we're going to be seeing "The Three Ninja Musketeers" post-timeskip, and it's going to be awesome.

edit: I officially hate autoformat. Not only did it erase the whole stream-of-consciousness thing I intended with this fic (thereby removing several KEY plot points), it also periodically removes paragraph separators - which means I have to edit the whole damn thing all over again. Excellent.

Whoever came up with the idea of giving Moegi and Udon the last name of Sarutobi's advisers deserves a cookie. And with all the behind-the-scenes crap that's going on, the astute reader will see the irony of said situation in my fic.

Speaking of iron, who didn't see Mari's 3rd job and think of "DEAR HOLY LORD IS THAT A BLUE GRAF EISEN?" upon seeing her weapon? Anyone?

Anyway, Sasuke's condition is similar to what Johnny Mnemonic went through, and his writing the scroll(s) is a Clan method of releasing excess information. It stands to reason that if your Bloodline Limit can lead to information overload, you have to have a release mechanism to keep your mind functioning. This as-of-yet-unnamed ability doesn't leave imprints of the data on the user's memories, so Sasuke does not yet know what he's written, and the implications on what he's written will be explored well into the post-timeskip arc.

The scenes within Konoha do not run along the same timeline as the pursuit operation. It's only there to show how things develop for each character as the story keeps going, and good ol' drama.

[Note 1:] This version of Hayate is a closet romantic, and his favorite movie? What do you think? And the sequence of events involving Hayate and Yuugao are glaringly obvious, are they not?

Future events and how they tie together in the sense of the crossover... I leave that conjecture in your hands. :D

**UP NEXT:** Epic revelations, epic battles, epic rescues, epic combination attacks, and bizarre conclusions await. And I haven't even began describing the explosions.

Please leave a review! I answer most detailed reviews in the forum I've made for this story. You can also leave me a message! Check my author profile out for contact information.


	28. The Storms of Battle

_disclaimer:_ none of this is mine, typically.

Before you go read this chapter, feel free to look through everything from Chapter 1 onward. Rewriting, editing and reformatting has been completed for all the earlier chapters.

Other than that, read on and enjoy. I'm sure you'll like what happens here.

* * *

_Everything felt like it happened a lifetime ago. What I wanted was acknowledgment. What I received was a family._

_With insurmountable odds, the will to protect those I love keeps me strong._

_It keeps me going even if by rights I shouldn't be. But... is all of this worth it?  
_

_Naruto: Arcane Heart will now begin._

* * *

_**NARUTO: ARCANE HEART**_

**Chapter 28: The Storms of Battle  
**

**

* * *

**The first thing Uzumaki Naruto noticed about Sai - no, Sieghart - was that he carried himself in a completely different manner than before.

Not only had he draped his jacket around him in a manner reminding him of that TV show about card games he'd watched back in the Academy, but his bearing, stance and poise all screamed out a quiet confidence.

The sly glint in his eye and genuinely happy smile he sported also troubled the boy. Sai, even when he was at his most social, had a few things he kept hidden within himself.

Sieghart was an open book.

He slowly and cautiously circled Uzumaki, with that positively beatific smile on his face remaining on all the while.

"Fascinating..." Sieghart said, finally breaking the silence. "I wouldn't believe it unless I saw it for myself. You have in your hands there one of the finest Devices crafted by the Ancient Velkan regime, kid."

_**Don't antagonize him. If you must, speak civilly and make your motives immediately known. Sieghart is not one who likes to carry on a talk between the lines (the kind we who fight in the shadows prefer to do).**_

_How do you know this, Reynard?_

**_Yes, do tell._**

**_Long story. All you need to know is that I have had more than a few run-ins with him._**

**_I'll tell you the details later._**

_Not a problem._

"Where are you going, anyway?" Naruto asked.

"Out of Konoha and Fire Country, obviously," Sieghart answered. "The Curse Seal given to me gave me an offer to run Orochimaru's spy network. Needless to say... I picked that offer right up."

Naruto raised his hands in his combat stance.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

"Well, well, well," Sieghart said, coming to a stop and hefting his ninjato in a reversed grip. "You want to throw down, huh? To stop me from going there?"

The dark-haired man took the initiative before Naruto could even reply, dashing in and delivering an overhead slash, which Naruto blocked with both hands before he flowed into the guard. Naruto didn't hesitate and threw a spin kick that nailed Sieghart clean in the side before backing up.

"What a surprise," Sieghart said, rolling back to his stance after grunting at the intensity of the kick. "To think you've gotten used to dear old Lass' fighting style that quickly. Tell me, you use a special training technique, don't you?"

Naruto was more than slightly unnerved. That was a solid kick, but all he got out of his foe was a grunt - and he still didn't stop smiling.

Worse was that he also knew Reynard's other name.

"What makes you think that?"

"The boy's memories. He knows stuff about something called a Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, whatever that is."

Naruto snickered as he remembered. It was a day before the Chunin Exam finals when Sai let slip the true benefit of knowing Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.

"Be that as it may, I think I'll let myself stretch a bit more before finally... cutting loose," Sieghart said as he charged in again.

_This fast and this strong and he's just warming up? _Naruto asked mentally.

_**Kyuubi. Focus everything onto maintaining the bond. If Sieghart gets serious we may have to switch to two tails, at least.**_

_**TWO TAILS? You freaking serious? Kid's not even up to one tail's worth of power yet...**_

_**I know! And even I'm not sure if we'll survive with the power of two tails!**_

Naruto continued the battle outside, trading blows with Sieghart, one of them dead-set on bringing the person formerly known as Sai back, and the other simply enjoying himself in his first few free moments.

* * *

"I wanted a follow-up team on my pursuit squad ten minutes ago!" an irate Senju Tsunade yelled to her other assistants.

As they made like panicked mice and went to and fro trying to summon any available ninja of chunin-rank or higher, Tsunade palmed her face in frustration, too stressed to even grab a sip of sake.

"You'll have better luck searching anywhere but this office!" she added, causing the frazzled secretaries to pull out of the office haphazardly. Sighing, the Fifth Hokage returned to her thoughts.

_Based on these reports, the Sound Five are the defector's escorts. Did I just condemn three promising chunin and genin to a rather violent death when their careers are just about to begin?_

Her morbid thoughts were cut off when the window to her office was opened and Jiraiya the Toad Sage jumped in.

"You think we've got more problems now?" he asked. "Things just got a whole order of magnitude more complicated. I need to look over a few mission reports from Sensei's Black Ops files."

"Black Ops?"

"Snake boy and Danzou did draw up most of the indoctrination and physiological improvement of the ROOT division, did they not?" Jiraiya asked as he leafed through the black folder he had easily found.

"Yes, yes, he did," Tsunade said. "What are you looking for, anyway?"

"Overt signs of collusion. May be a link, a clue, something, anything. I don't know. That ROOT guy defecting got me started on a hunch..." the Toad Sage responded as he kept on reading intently. "There, there it is right there."

He pointed to a few choice lines of text.

"This is our defector."

Reading through the entry, Tsunade gasped.

"You're saying he's got NO identity prior to entering the ROOT program?"

"Something like that, yes."

"What the - what does that mean, someone like Sai just up and fell out of the sky?"

Jiraiya turned white as a sheet at Tsunade's little outburst, and after a moment of stunned silence, the Fifth Hokage likewise paled.

"Hatake Kakashi has assembled a secondary team and requests an immediate audience," came Shizune's voice from outside the office.

"Let him in," Tsunade said after getting over her shock, only to be dealt another one.

"Hokage-sama, Jiraiya-sama, there have been startling new developments with my genin Uchiha Sasuke."

"Regarding?"

"He seems to have developed his Sharingan further into something similar to what his brother has - he says the clan calls it the Mangekyo Sharingan."

Tsunade gripped the arms of her chair so tightly that it simply exploded into splinters at that remark.

"Keep an ANBU or two on close watch over him, as well as his teammates," Jiraiya instructed. "Our village is growing stronger too quickly..."

"Yes, indeed it does..." Tsunade replied. "Thank you for your information, jonin. I will deal with the matter of your genin for the meantime. Please commence the pursuit operation ASAP. Our future may very well depend on it."

Kakashi's posture suddenly straightened as he muttered "Acknowledged," before vanishing in a swirl of leaves.

As Ino, Sakura and Hinata decided to keep Sasuke company during his stay in the hospital, the Hyuuga heiress could sense the presence of an ANBU operative close by, similar to Naruto back in the Academy.

She wondered about it for exactly five seconds before going back to talking to the Uchiha and her fellow kunoichi, all the time thinking about one other thing:

_...where is Tenten-senpai?_

* * *

Naruto slid back, taking a more defensive stance as Sieghart strode purposefully towards him. He had already unleashed his Barrier Jacket, but that added protection had not done him any good as it only made his foe shift from magical attacks to blunt physical moves.

He could still feel that body blow, and it had been several minutes since it hit. His healing should be taking care of that matter, but...

"And you didn't even bother to ask Lass for some of his advanced moves? Judging by the way you wield him, you are more than capable of Transcending into his second or third form."

Naruto let out a slow breath. _He may not be beatable by conventional means, but this isn't a Chunin Exam finals or something. This isn't a fight for honor._

_**About bloody time you figured it out, kid.**_

_Okay... I've got a plan cooked up. Just back me up on this one._

_**All right. We'll step in if things get really hairy.**_

_Thanks._

Naruto unsealed a brace of kunai from his pouch.

"I might not be able to beat you head-on," he said, a gun-metal blue Velkan rune appearing below him, "so let's see how good you dodge!"

_**"Blutiger Dolch."**_

"Hah, that's small time. I could dodge that in-"

_**"Genocide Shift."**_

Sieghart's eyes widened.

The kunai Naruto held began glowing a light blue... and then he threw. While starting a run around his target, he threw.

And mere moments when the bolts began their downward path...

"Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto bellowed.

What had been thirty to fifty bolts to Sieghart's trained eye now numbered so many. _Interesting, _he thought before hefting his ninjato and pushing off from the ground with incredible speed towards his opponent. While bolt after bolt crashed into him, he simply projected that aura of his, thus rendering the spectacular projectile attack of Naruto nigh useless.

"Nice move... but this match is MINE!" Sieghart snarled as he directed his warrior's aura towards the sword. Leaping into the air to ready the attack on his opponent who looked exhausted after that bombardment spell, he finished the channeling of his own attack, bringing his ninjato downwards in a powerful arc.

Naruto had barely dodged the slash, but as it turned out, that wasn't all of Sieghart's tricks.

_**"Flame Sword,"**_ acknowledged his Device as he screamed out a war cry, the purple aura exploding from where he swung his weapon.

It flashed forward, crashing into the Konoha chunin before exploding.

"...does this scare you? This is only the beginning," Sieghart said as he surveyed the damage of his attack. Pretty good, for a Shooting-type spell, I guess... ugh, even my spell casting is rusty.

"You're right. I haven't even started yet."

Sieghart tried to conceal his surprise, but barely did as he saw Uzumaki Naruto within the smoke of the technique he threw. The strange blue Barrier Jacket he sported was gone, but otherwise he was completely unscathed.

"My turn, now," Naruto said as he sheathed Reynard and moved his hands into his favorite cross seal.

* * *

Elsewhere en route to the Valley of the End, another whirling dance of death were taking place.

Alicia Testarossa was currently locked in battle with the Curse Seal-powered Kaguya Kimimaro, and clashing her Glaive Formed Device against his bone swords.

Neither was making headway, until after a shot that had launched Alicia some distance away, she went into her hand seals and blasted the bone user with a Rairyudan no Jutsu.

Alicia thought she had him, but couldn't believe it as a red and horned Kimimaro rose from the ashes, his expression unchanged.

"Not too bad," he said. "How about you try this on for size?" he then asked before surging forward, bone spikes rising from nearly every surface in his body.

Alicia loaded a cartridge and started spinning, gathering momentum to use her attack as a defense or deflection of some sort.

When the two attacks met, Alicia was thrown off a bit by the magnitude of the impact, but she held on. She had to - this was all or nothing, where everything was at stake.

The Kaguya kept coming, but her momentum held.

She spun again, finally slipping through Kimimaro's bone shield.

And she spun again, striking at the same spot but this time, releasing all the wound-up momentum she gathered onto that one strike.

_**"Glaive Tempest."**_

Even before the bone-user could finish the Kawarimi no Jutsu to prevent any preemptive attack by his foe, Alicia had already fired off a series of Ragna Bolts at him.

The Konoha chunin was stunned as her bolts were simply sliced out of the air by a staff that he probably produced in between her jutsu's and Spell's impact.

They faced off against each other once more.

"You're really good," Kimimaro said evenly. "To think I'd find someone as skilled as you in a village like yours..."

"Thanks, you're not too bad yourself," Alicia replied. "Your combat skills and strength are likewise great."

"It is my desire to serve and protect my master that gives me strength, you see," the Kaguya clansman said, spinning his staff several times before taking up a different stance. "It is not too different from yours."

"Indeed, it's not," Alicia said, loading another cartridge into Siegfried. _Siegfried, I'm probably going to summon or use Lodestar Chaser. Back me up, okay?_

_**It will be done, master.**_

A moment of silence swept across the plain before the two threw themselves into the storm of battle once more.

* * *

"Should've known this would happen," Sieghart muttered to no one as he continued tearing through the mob of Kage Bunshin this Naruto fellow summoned. _Clone techniques like this would be a very valuable asset if the Bureau found its way here,_ he thought.

Since bringing ninjutsu into the table, Naruto was slowly but surely breaking even with his opponent. Each Kage Bunshin dispelling told him what he needed to know about Sieghart's attack patterns, and he was impressed. _This guy may have an unorthodox fighting style, but it's extremely effective - the right mix of power, speed, and grace..._

**_He's had 500 years and more to learn, that's why._**

_Five hundred? You've got to be pulling my leg._

**_No joke. Experience-wise, even the three of us together is only a fraction of his battlefield knowledge._**

_So... I'll have to cheat._

**_Indeed you must, for you even to return alive from one such as that man you see before you._**

Naruto hesitated. The bunshinjutsu technique Aunt Precia taught him was only to be used in the direst of situations, lest he overuse it or be overwhelmed by its destructive potential.

_**Now is not the time for that.**_

Naruto had just ran out of clones, and was now on the defensive altogether, dodging slashes left and right, and going on the attack just to get himself some breathing room.

_**If you're doing it, then I'm doing it. If I don't do it, will you? If you don't do it, I'll do it. I'm doing it, so you do it too!**_

Naruto rolled off a vicious sword swing from his foe, chuckling at the little inspirational spiel given by the spirit sealed within his belly, and wondered just how low he went just to be coaxed into crossing that line by the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox himself.

_No time for thinking now,_ Naruto thought. _It's now or never._

He backpedaled and called on four clones to engage his foe, but Sieghart had ended up knocking them aside in barely moments, and was closing in on Naruto in a flash.

Sieghart's scream coincided with his Device enunciating _**"Double Impact,"**_ as he slashed once again, breaking through his opponent's guard, and followed it up with a heavy downward blow.

"Big mistake... Sieghart," was all Naruto said as Sieghart's melee spell hit home, punctuating it with a wink before going up in a massive explosion.

_Bunshin Daibakuha? _Sieghart thought as he blasted his aura to shield himself from the blast, and when the smoke cleared, Naruto had vanished...

...only for him to come charging forward, a chakra sphere of brilliant blue spinning in his right hand.

"RASENGAN!"

Sieghart quickly pivoted to his side to avoid and counter the attack in one smooth motion. Once he had spun beyond the arm, he swung an elbow along with it, catching his opponent in the back of the neck.

That didn't work too, as the Naruto he thought he struck vanished in another puff of smoke.

"Okay, all this ninja crap is starting to annoy me," Sieghart said. "I already know you need to charge up that little technique of yours, Naruto. A part of me used to spar with you, remember? So all these sneak attacks are doing is delaying the inevitable."

There was a loud crash, and Naruto burst from hiding underground nearby, daggers at the ready.

Sieghart moved in fast, focused his momentum on a slash meant to break anyone's guard, and swung his sword arm downward.

It hit, the blow breaking his opponent's guard and sending him rolling a good distance away.

Except the Naruto he thought he had struck smiled before vanishing again.

"Damn it! Where the hell are you?"

"Right over here."

Sieghart wheeled his head around only to see Naruto mere moments from thrusting the completed Rasengan in his gut.

_How did he...? Wait, his clone didn't dispel the Rasengan - or was that just a transformed clone?_

_It doesn't matter, he's going to hit!_

**I have you right where I want to.**

Uzumaki Naruto stretched out his arm and made contact.

_How's that for an underdog winning, eh?_

Sieghart didn't flinch when the Rasengan struck, which confused the boy for those few moments.

What Uzumaki Naruto had completely failed to expect when his Rasengan hit was for Sieghart to stretch his smile even wider.

"Big mistake... Naruto."

Sieghart's eyes began glowing an ominous shade of purple, and the purple aura around him began to flare out in waves...

* * *

"Well, well, well... to have you not only withstand the worst of my Limit Rage! Lass really did choose wisely."

The last minute had been the longest one so far in Uzumaki Naruto's life. While his last battle with Orochimaru and his revealing the completed Rasengan had him on the bad end of the stick, this one was different.

He had a full load of cartridges, enough stamina to go on, techniques he had been sworn only to use when in serious danger, plus he could call on the demonic chakra within him...

...but it wasn't enough.

Even with his Device in Scimitar Form, it wasn't enough, as the Limit Rage aura served not only as an explosive shield against Naruto's attacks, it also sustained itself the more Sieghart was injured - a total lose-lose situation for the newly-promoted chunin from Konoha.

To make matters worse, now that the fearsome power of Sieghart finally came into play, his spells had grown even more powerful: that aura of his served to add weight and speed to his attacks.

Sieghart rolled his ninjato to a more conventional stance, his grin growing ever more predatory as the aura granted by the Limit Rage system began blazing off him. He raised his hand in a seal, and all the power began flowing into the sword.

Naruto tried to do the same, gathering as much mana within two cartridges' worth towards his Scimitar as he could, but he could only make his Device barely glow as Sieghart moved in, starting his slash low and swinging upwards in a blaze of purple flame...

**"GRINDING PUNISHER!"**

**

* * *

**Alicia Testarossa was quickly getting frustrated: despite the improvements the Cartridge System had been giving her, she could just not find a way within Kimimaro's defenses - his style was just too impeccable to beat.

She'd also been hit with many surface cuts, slowing her down somewhat.

"Ending so soon, just when I've only begun enjoying myself?" Kimimaro asked as he vaulted over with the staff and revealed another sword.

Their weapons met, and Kimimaro could see desperation in the girl's eyes. _Better finish this before she decides to buck the odds, _he thought.

After delivering a kick that sent her flying across the grass, the bone user prepared for his finishing move: the bones he had summoned began winding themselves around one hand, like a bone-white drill of some sort.

As Alicia recovered from the kick, she saw the weapon he was making and audibly swallowed the lump in her throat.

_That would be so cool if it wouldn't end up hitting me, _she thought.

Except that she saw some sort of flash nearby and hurled a Ragna Bolt as fast as she could at it.

It whizzed past her opponent and hit straight and true.

Kimimaro's combat-fueled trance was broken when he heard a voice groan upon his dodging that strange but easily-telegraphed bolt of hers.

_Others?_

The Curse Seal on him began to react erratically, as if there was a concentrated amount of danger afoot, but the blonde girl was all he saw...

* * *

The trio from Sunagakure were almost there; about to reach the ninja they were tasked by the acting Kazekage to back up... but just before they could reach the first battleground they could sense, Shukaku smelled blood.

"Much blood has been shed. Old blood. All over this forest floor," he whispered to his jinchuriki.

"We're in a forest, Shukaku. Unless..."

Gaara had only moments to react before a storm of kunai rained down onto him and his siblings - but he was able to conjure up a sphere of compacted sand in time to parry all the attacks.

"Didn't they say that this was just a pursuit operation?" Kankuro said.

"It seems that this is the nasty surprise Shukaku keeps mentioning to me," Gaara mused. "Temari, how soon do you think can we blow our way out of here?"

"If you two can cover me while I summon Kamatari, sure. Kankuro, what do your friends sense outside?"

"Trouble. Lots of trouble."

"That's just great. We're supposed to come save the day and end up stuck in a great ball of sand, no offense, Shukaku, but..."

"...none taken, Temari. Gaara," Shukaku added, "this isn't some sort of ninja cadre we've stumbled across, it seems."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, should worst come to worst, use as much of my power as you need to."

Kankuro and Temari looked at their little brother and his tailed beast in horror.

"Ready?" Gaara asked them.

* * *

Naruto's arms felt like lead weights as he struggled to raise the angled-handled blades that were Reynard's Cypher Form into his regular stance. He could feel the burning red chakra from within the seal threatening to escape - the price he had to pay for expending too much energy just to keep up with his foe.

He had blocked off that immensely destructive sword spell Sieghart referred to as his trump card, but he had to overload his Device to do so. And right now, he had gone in over his head, just like that.

"I can play your game, if you like - you're not the only one who can Transcend his Device. B4U, Duelist Form," Sieghart said. _Sorry, but sometimes you're just out of luck._

_**"Access Denied."**_

Sieghart gaped. "You've got to be joking... right?"

_**"Negative."**_

Naruto snickered a bit in spite of his fatigue at seeing his rival's Device openly disobey him.

"Ugh, how embarrassing. Okay, do everyone a favor and tell me why you're not doing what your Master asks you to do."

_**"Wide Area Detection Field Alert."**_

Sieghart's eyes widened at his Device's warning, and his left palm smacked against his face in disgust over the data his Device sent him.

"Of all the times... some folks really have no manners, butting in just when I was about to start having fun." He sighed. "Uh... Naruto? The way things are going, looks like we're not gonna be able to finish our little tussle today. You're getting reinforcements."

"Reinforcements? Hokage-sama said that we'd be entirely on our own. Those are Sound-nin, right?" Naruto asked, confused.

"I don't think so. They have no taint of Orochimaru's seal on them... and neither do they wear the musical note."

Naruto's gaped as the Storage Device sent across a picture the Wide Area Detection Field took of the "reinforcements".

Rain headbands.

Which meant only one thing - this was the first wave of what could be an attack on Konoha.

"This just keeps getting better and better," Naruto muttered to himself.

"Indeed. Who would have thought that Rain would take this chance to come plowing down towards Konoha?"

The two remained silent for a little while, thinking about what to do next.

"Hey, kid. How about I make you an offer?" Sieghart finally said.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Name it."

"Since you want to return to your village in one piece while I want out, why don't we work together for the meantime and clear this rabble out? We'll have a better chance of survival, and we can always finish the fight next time, eh? In exchange for you letting me get to Sound unmolested... I'll take out my share of these goons and... give you one tidbit I had saved for when we'd part."

"One tidbit?"

"Yup," Sieghart answered, hefting his ninjato back to his usual reversed grip. "I didn't steal the Heart of Konoha and I don't **have** the Heart of Konoha. Before I went to the Sound Five, I checked out where it was supposed to be hidden to awaken it and hopefully take it with me, but it was already gone."

"Who took it?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Sieghart answered. "By the traces of mana I found, it looks like the Heart has found herself a new Master. Or Mistress. Or whatever."

"A Konoha citizen?"

"Probably. They're heading our way. You ready?"

_**"3FD System Online."**_

_**"Data exchange complete. 3FD System Online."**_

_What's that?_

_**So you and Sieghart don't accidentally hurt each other with magic attacks.**_

_Why are you so trusting of him, Reynard?_

_**Long story. If you win the day, I suppose I owe you and the fox an explanation.**_

_I'll hold you to that, Reynard._

_**Of course, Meister.**_

_I'm gonna use up whatever's left for this summoning... time-release the combat function at summoning apex. I want these clones armed and ready, and carrying something nasty if they dispel._

_**With your reserves that low? Perhaps we should resort to pulling from our emergency stash.**_

_Only as much as we'll need._

_**Very well, Meister. Reverting to Dolchsform. Mana recharge commencing, suspending function.**_

"Sieghart, cover me," Naruto said, getting into a stance not unlike when casting the Rasengan, beginning to gather the winds around him. "If we're gonna hit 'em, let's hit 'em hard and let's hit 'em fast."

"Excellent idea," his rival said as he revealed his paintbrush and began mentally sorting through his list of creatures. _Hmm, should I summon Gaikoz the samurai? No, he's not much shakes in a group fight. Maybe Lenasien... but he's a Wind-type, too... Kamiki... yeah, that's a good idea._

The black-haired warrior put his hands through the seals before splashing onto an enchanted scroll a picture of a horned creature with white wings. Although Sieghart used only black ink, the chakrani the creature wielded was ringed with orbs of various colors.

"Ninpou: Chouju Giga - Kamiki!"

"Taijuu Fuuton Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

* * *

Akimichi Chouji slowly got up, and munched on the last potato chip.

"An unwanted audience?"

"Not the kind of audience you or I would want to see," Jirobo said. "Come on out, no use hiding when your number is that large!" he added.

Figures started emerging from cover of the bushes and trees.

Many figures.

All sporting Rain headbands.

"Rain? What could they want here?" Chouji asked.

"It's obvious," Jirobo answered. "It seems our little game of cat-and-mouse was coincidental with their little move here. This isn't an expeditionary force we'll be dealing with."

"We?"

"Once they're done with Konoha, who's to say they won't go after Oto next?"

The Rain-nin edged closer to the duo.

"Better decide now."

"Fine, Jirobo. I'll have your back."

"Likewise... and go!"

Jirobo willed the cursed chakra chains around his body to manifest, forming a large black link that he swung around to keep the first wave away while the Akimichi took to the air before rolling into his trademark technique.

What followed was mayhem: the Sound-nin actually bonded the chain of chakra over to the Leaf-nin, effectively turning his foe into his weapon.

And then Jirobo started swinging it around.

* * *

When Kidomaru had awoken from his little "beauty rest", all he could sense was hostility.

Hostility and more chakra signatures, and that usually didn't mean well. Of course, he had been in a pursuit operation, and while that last fight had his chakra pathways sealed, the little time given while he webbed himself together paid off.

Now, he was tunneling under the earth, searching out stray boulders to drag these unwary Rain-nin under...

* * *

"Is this your idea of a joke?"

"No, no, we're completely serious."

Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru had just entered a tenuous alliance with the Sound twins, who admitted that their task was just to slow down any pursuers, and escape when contact was successful.

They did succeed in slowing down pursuers, but with a LOT of Rain-nin after their collective hides, Ukon and Sakon couldn't just pack up and go, they had to tear their way through just to get to safety.

Plus, temporarily marking the Leaf-nin for their trademark technique would be rather disorienting and disgusting for him, but would technically be their key to victory.

"Come on, please agree to it!" Ukon said. "We'll finish this fast and then get out of your hair as soon as we can."

"Oh, come on! Don't give me that crap. There's a lot of them here. We can go crazy and do all sorts of radical stuff!"

"Isn't what you two are suggesting weird enough already?" Kiba asked before sending a Rain-nin into the distance with a Tsuuga.

"Yes, but it will help in the long run. Trust us."

"Ugh... trust you guys?" Kiba asked as he kicked another nin aside.

"Please."

"Ugh, whatever. Do your worst. Akamaru! Use the Jujin Bunshin!" Kiba called to his partner.

"**NOW YOU'RE THINKING WITH PORTALS!**" the twins shouted in glee, using their bloodline abilities in conjunction to make Inuzuka Kiba's personal space their version of a body-movable teleportation system.

One Rain-nin tried to nail the Inuzuka from behind, only for an arm to appear from his back and poke him in the eyes with two fingers.

Used correctly, so said their boss, they could move as fast as the Yellow Flash... but then again, one of the two would end up going fast while the other would go slow.

"Hi..." Ukon said, his leg popping out of Kiba's to nail a Rain-nin right between the legs.

"Nice shot," Kiba said.

"Thanks, but that's not the last one!"

* * *

Right now, Nara Shikamaru, Hyuuga Neji and Tayuya were hiding.

The Rain-nin were taking on her summoned zombies with a lot of difficulty, which was why the three of them were able to come up with a plan under cover.

"Look, you want to toast these fuckers from Rain or not?" Tayuya asked.

"You ask a great deal from us, Tayuya-san. I am inclined to believe that you may change the terms of our agreement should the opportunity present itself," Neji replied, "but yes, for our mutual survival, I reluctantly agree with your proposal."

"About goddamn time, cutie."

"Either way is troublesome," Shikamaru replied, "but this is the slightly less troublesome approach. Just answer me this: how will prove to us that you won't just stab us in the back or have your friends do it for you?"

Tayuya answered by simply edging close to Neji and grabbing him in a rather sensitive area.

"Because he's really cute, and if I met him in a civilian town, I'd totally jump him, hit him over the head then make for the nearest inn," Tayuya said over Neji's rapidly reddening face. "And stabbing someone in the back won't make a good first impression for someone who's that hot." (Let's not mention Tayuya saying that she'd rather be the one stabbed from behind by a certain cute long-haired Konoha genin, now, all right?)

Shikamaru actually chuckled. "Good enough for me."

"All right, just listen for a few moments," Tayuya said, extricating herself from a blushing Neji, readying her flute and playing a few notes. "This genjutsu's purpose isn't to control you, it's to make my friends see you as one of them."

"Nothing seems different," Neji said.

"Hurry up and let's go smoke these mooks before I shove my tongue down your throat," Tayuya replied, winking.

Shikamaru could only sigh and nod in approval as the three of them jumped out of cover and towards the confused Rain-nin, whose ranks were slowly but surely being cut down by Tayuya's zombie summons.

* * *

"How many of these bastards are there?" Alicia asked.

"Too much," Kimimaro replied. "We seem to be cornered."

"Just my luck."

"Indeed. I have them right where I want them."

Kimimaro conjured up a giant drill for each of his arms, and turned to Alicia before plunging them into the dirt.

"If you would, please jump."

A thunderous crash resounded all over the plains, and when Alicia Testarossa looked down, the clearing had turned into a pit of bony spikes.

"That's not the last of them," Alicia said as she went over to the edge of the field, with Kimimaro following suit. "That was just the first wave - genin and chunin. We'll be facing jonin-level enemies at this rate."

The Kaguya appeared from one of the spikes, his Curse Seal dispelled and visibly winded at his technique. "That's not good."

"If you can cover me, I'll help out. Siegfried, Divine Fortitude."

A blue-white circular rune burst from beneath Alicia's feet and showered the area with a soothing energy - the Sound Five leader immediately felt its effects.

"The cuts from our clashes seem to be healing faster."

"True, but I am not finished. Siegfried, Spellblade Mode - Sacred Strength."

Another more bluish rune appeared, and they both felt their chakra reserves refilling faster.

"So is that enough for those guys?" Alicia asked as she pointed towards the group of Rain jonin and chunin about to initiate the attack.

"Not enough, but I can wing it," Kimimaro replied, pulling out that staff of his.

"Glad to hear," Alicia answered. "Siegfried, revert to Glaive Mode."

She made the hand seals, and true to form, her summon Teepo emerged from the puff of smoke.

"Alicia. It's been a while," the purple-haired young man said.

Kimimaro looked oddly at the person his then-opponent-and-now-teammate-from-necessity summoned. _Some sort of reverse summoning technique?_

"No time for pleasantries, I'm afraid, Teepo-san," Alicia replied. "There are more of them this time."

"That will not be a problem," Teepo said. "I could Access to a stronger form then use my breath-based attacks..."

"I... would advise against that," Kimimaro butted in. "We can't risk any stragglers."

"He has a point."

"Well, how about if we engage them head-on, lure them into a spot, and then you change form and incinerate them?"

Teepo answered by drawing his own sword. "A little barbaric, but against these numbers, you can't be choosy."

Alicia and Kimimaro nodded.

"Here we go..."

* * *

"Is that the last of them?"

"Yes, it appears to be the last of them."

"Damn it! I so wanted to play with them some more."

"You **ALWAYS** say that whenever we go on a mission. Can't you ever get content or something?"

"Uh... guys... just wanted to say, uh... thanks."

"We didn't do it for you, dog boy."

"Nope, we definitely didn't."

"What we did it for... was for the chief."

"The chief? Oh, you mean the guy with the white hair."

"Damn right."

"Damn straight. Oh... it seems your friends are heading over to you. We'll be going now."

"Okay."

"Don't forget to think with portals!" the twins called out before merging into one body again and taking to the branches, leaving a confused Kiba, a tired Akamaru, and several hundred dead Rain-nin in their wake.

"Inuzuka!"

"Inuzuka Kiba!"

"That voice... Oneechan? Sensei?"

He turned to see his sister Hana, his sensei Kakashi, two ANBU, and a branch house Hyuuga.

"Glad to see you're okay! Where are the others?"

"Kiba! Over here!" another voice came from the horizon.

"That's Chouji!" Kiba said, and the two ANBU moved towards the source of the sound, revealing Akimichi Chouji to be still in one piece, though his slightly labored breathing and cheeks beginning to sink meant that he'd been using a significant amount of his chakra in the past couple of minutes.

Five minutes later, Kiba and Chouji were telling the secondary pursuit team their battle and the unexpected turn it went through, culminating with Chouji telling them that his opponent simply left after the Rain-nin near them were all neutralized.

That puzzled most of the other ANBU, as the Sound Five were known to be extremely ruthless and bloodthirsty.

Or was that another publicity coup by Orochimaru to get people to register more missions with Oto?

None of them knew (or wanted to know) the real reason as they sped forth further to check on how their other companions were doing.

The pursuit team (Kakashi, especially) did wonder how they managed to take out significant parts of another invasion...

...Rain wanted to invade?

This would have to be looked into further.

* * *

"...any last words?"

"HANZOU-SAMA, BANZAI!"

Crunch.

"No survivors left here," Kankuro said.

"None here, either. That last Kamaitachi slice got them so high up, I'm sure the drop will knock them out at best," Temari added. "Thank goodness our teamwork held up when it did, didn't it, Gaara?"

"I should probably give this to Shukaku," Gaara replied quietly. "And I guess they weren't joking when they said that I should start to work on my ninja skills so I don't get extremely dependent on him."

"**SAND COFFIN! MUHAHAHAHAHAHA!**" Shukaku said, laughing evilly as another one of the last surviving invaders from Rain tried to cheap-shot Temari and got himself crushed for his trouble.

"Konoha-nin heading our way," Kankuro said. "Karasu's sensors got tripped."

"Let's go ask them about these Rain-nin," Temari said. "This large a group of ninja isn't just some sort of diplomatic mission."

"All right," Gaara said. "Shukaku, let's go."

"Of course!" the tanuki said before dissolving back into the sand that flowed into Gaara's gourd.

* * *

At the end, he thought that the beatdown would end up sating his desire for battle. As it turned out, it was more like dessert; that battle with Lass' wielder - Uzumaki Naruto - stirred long-lost feelings within the dark-haired man.

The sheer pleasure of combat for combat's sake couldn't be denied, even if the boy had to pull all sorts of underhanded tricks just to break even.

As he looked upon the exhausted boy's form, he smiled.

_I need to gather the Chase again. Staying in that village would not have been helpful._

_Grow stronger, little one. Strong enough to bear the Cyphers and the Tempest Edge._

_I will be waiting._

_The rest of the Chase will be waiting._

He looked back to where he had come from, and sensing Leaf-nin bearing down on his location, resheathed his ninjato, and plunged the sheath into the soft earth.

Sieghart was just about to truly leave when something fell out of his pocket.

A forehead protector.

He thought about taking it with him, but he knew the boy needed a reminder to continue the warrior's path, become a skilled mage, and strike from the shadows as a shinobi.

As he turned around and went off towards Rice Country and Orochimaru, Sieghart's smile widened. _That boy will be even more formidable in time. When the Chase is finally gathered, then it will truly begin again..._

The only thing the Konoha pursuit team would end up finding was an exhausted Naruto, Sai's sword stuck in the dirt, with his forehead protector tied around the handle.

That, and the hundreds, if not thousands of unconscious, wounded, dying and probably dead Rain-nin littering the Valley of the End.

* * *

The next night, in a cave somewhere between the border of Fire and Rice Country...

"So, mission accomplished?" Kidomaru asked.

"As much as we could," Ukon replied.

"With a lot of difficulty," Sakon chimed in.

"Last I heard from the grapevine, there was this newbie who stumbled into one of Orochimaru-sama's bases. I think that might be our guy," Kimimaro Kaguya said. "Congratulations, team. Another successful defection."

"Something seems off about all this, Chief..." Tayuya said. "It's been bothering me for some time now, but shouldn't our mission be marked as a failure because, you know, we didn't bring Uchiha Sasuke?"

"...for not getting the Heart and/or the last Uchiha?" Jirobo asked. "Not really. The way Orochimaru-sama phrased it was that this guy we got from Konoha was worth more than ten jonin Uchihas."

"...that much?" Tayuya asked. "Fucking A."

"...I thought you got rid of that bad habit, Tayuya," Kimimaro said.

"Yeah, well fuck that, Chief. Too much time in that pansy-ass Leaf Village and now that the little deep cover gig we've started is done, I feel like cursing up a motherfucking storm!"

"Geez, here we go again," Ukon said.

"You said it," Sakon added.

"Whatever, we got the job done and escaped with our hides intact, that should make the boss proud, right?" Kidomaru said.

"The boss probably would... Sound has, in comparison to other villages, fewer loyal ninja of chunin ability and above," Kimimaro observed. "If we were taken out, the boss would have ended up in dire straits."

"Speaking of dire straits," Jirobo asked, "why Rain?"

"I think that's a question whose answer is a kind of secret only the boss knows (also we're not privy to them)," Kimimaro said. "Enough talking. We move for Otogakure at 0400 tomorrow."

"Roger!"

Chapter 28 - **END**

**

* * *

author's notes:**

I've left out most of the details of the Valley of the End battle, because most of the readers already know how it goes.

Sieghart can use Sai's panoply of ink-based jutsu, because Sai is simply part of Sieghart.

Naruto knows Reynard's former name (Lass) because of the Visualization training, but he prefers calling his Device by its designated name - Reynard.

I'm sure you guys know the the reason why I named Naruto's Device that, right?

Also, Naruto is not a one-trick pony in this fic. He does use Kage Bunshin a lot, but tries to improvise in its usage as much as he can, as often as he can.

...My rewrite of this chapter is still ongoing, by the way. I'll probably link this up with Chapter 29.

And if you're really genre savvy, you'll know who the Heart of Konoha ends up with.

**What's next:** A filler mission or two and it's off to the training trips, another familiar face makes its debut, and the conspiracy across worlds stretches even further...


	29. New Directions

_disclaimer:_ Naruto isn't mine. So is Grand Chase and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha! Who would have thought? :3

Rumors of my death have been highly exaggerated. :3 But yeah, I've been doing a bit of reading on how to make the story better. Further rewriting of earlier chapters will definitely come when I get to the timeskip (which is sooner than you think).

Also, to some who might think that this story is a bit difficult to read: everything will make sense if you try to think of WHY. Why do I keep a few scenes dangling out of reach? Because there will inevitably be a detail that will give away most of the weightier events in the plot that will explode come time skip and beyond...

So yeah, here's the long-awaited Chapter 29.

* * *

_Everything felt like it happened a lifetime ago. What I wanted was family. What I received was a second chance._

_In these trying times, even the slightest mistake can cause massive upheaval._

_To overlook even the slightest detail may have the most dire of consequences._

_Hold onto the bonds that strengthen you, for they will prop you when the wave of despair may overwhelm you._

_Naruto: Arcane Heart will now begin._

* * *

_**NARUTO: ARCANE HEART**_

**Chapter 29: New Directions**

* * *

It was the strangest procession that finally entered Konohagakure's gates. Leading the way were the three siblings from Sunagakure, with a raccoon head made of sand popping out every now and then from the redhead's gourd. Following them were the team Konoha sent - even though their official mission failed, the achievement of taking out an invasion force from Ame buoyed their spirits.

All except one blonde chuunin with orange highlights in his hair, as he held on forlornly to a forehead protector and a sheathed ANBU ninjato.

Little did they know that a great distance away, their pursuit of a wayward Leaf-nin purported to have been killed in action set into motion many other things, much like how the flapping of the proverbial butterfly's wings caused a tempest halfway across the world...

* * *

After what had seemed to be an eternity of suffering... change had finally come to Amegakure.

Not only was one of the most despotic Kages in history utterly and completely defeated, his place was taken by someone who was Hanzo the Salamander's complete and polar opposite.

The newly-dubbed Amekage was a shy and unassuming young man by the name of Nagato.

It was a surprisingly bloodless revolution, with most of Hanzou the Salamander's allies taking part in the failed invasion of Konohagakure - an invasion that was stopped in its tracks by fifteen heroes of three ninja villages.

And just when the invasion went underway, Nagato and his rebels took the opportunity, moved in - and in an epic show of force, the shy and unassuming young man finally took his destiny into his hands.

* * *

...it was all but over.

"Pain"'s God Realm had finally exhausted his reserves and collapsed to the dirt, surrounded by Hanzo the Salamander's fallen bodyguards and his other fellow avatars, who had likewise given it their all, going even beyond their limits before finally slumping to the floor of the dictator's audience hall.

Hanzo finally saw his opponent's last attack fade out - that manipulation of movement was difficult to go around, but he successfully countered it with his trademark brute force. He strode over to the fallen "Pain", an expression of satisfaction painted on his face.

"It's been a long while since I've had this much fun," Hanzo said, in between his heavy breaths. "Now, return to the dirt!"

He grabbed the boy by the collar and prepared to finish him off when...

...in one smooth motion, Nagato grabbed the obsidian choker tied around his neck and shoved it into the Salamander's chest.

"...A chakra receiver!"

"My name... is Nagato."

"Leader of the Breaking Dawn; Nagato the Destined."

"If you become a wall that holds the tears of these people within..."

"...then I will tear a hole through you and inundate you with the blood and tears you yourself have wrought!"

"And that..."

Hanzo looked down and saw that the chakra receiver had looked like... a small, grooved, conical object?

"...is my drill!"

Nagato turned his arm, and the chakra receiver flared with power, blasting out the last of the Rin'negan wielder's chakra through his sworn enemy, nearly vaporizing him...

* * *

The saying goes, "it is always rainy in Amegakure".

But since the new regime had started, the people had begun to warm up to the thought that the falling rain no longer meant tears of sorrow, pain, or misery.

They were tears of relief and happiness - after Hanzo had nearly run them into the ground, there was now hope for the future: a hope embodied by their newly-named Amekage - Nagato.

The smaller neighboring villages were also absorbed as a part of greater Amegakure over the first few weeks of rebuilding: with new leadership, they didn't hesitate in pitching in to put their once-great Hidden Village back together better than before.

And no one knew just how hard Nagato and his associates worked more than the blue-haired young woman seated in the town square, watching these people work their hardest to bring Amegakure back from the brink.

Since Amegakure was now defined as a "component Hidden village", Nagato did the first and perhaps the only self-serving thing he would do as Amekage: he changed the city's name.

Now it was Yahiko City, the center of Amegakure.

The statue of the Salamander in the town fountain was gone, replaced with a stone replica of a grinning young man who strangely reminded everyone of Amekage-sama's personal bodyguard.

The statue's hand was also pointed towards heaven, reminding everyone who saw it that yes, hope is not dead in Amegakure.

Konan looked at the statue, and the pedestal it stood on, smiling as she saw all the names carved on the stone square: names of everyone who had given their very lives to bring back the Rain of Hope.

Before she could return to reading the scroll she carried, though, an orange-haired young woman had approached her.

"Konan-san, Nagato-sama requires your presence."

She turned and smiled towards the Animal Path; one of Nagato's avatars. "Thank you, Chikushu-san. Shall we?"

"Yes. Let us be on our way."

The two women gracefully walked towards the city hall.

* * *

"Ah, Konan-san. Good timing."

"What can I do for you today, Amekage-sama?" Konan asked, almost teasingly.

"Well, we'll be heading over to Konoha," Nagato replied. "If they've put the wrong pieces together, we could be looking at the Fourth Great Ninja World War, you know that. Thus, I'll be appointing you acting Amekage in my absence."

"You're going to Konoha by yourself and leave **ME** here? Nagato-sama..."

"I'm sorry..." he said. "The way this whole thing went down, we still need to know who's in it for our dreams and who's in it for the short term. If we want to spread Hope through the Ninja Countries, Ame **has** to be strong."

"...and you're asking me to check out who can we trust, now that the situation has changed?"

"Yes. Because as we've been told by our world-famous author of a sensei, _absolute power corrupts absolutely_," Nagato answered, finishing his preparations for departure.

"If that's the case," Konan asked, again teasing, "then why aren't you?"

"...Because I have you and I have Yahiko. I also have Musashi, Yukina, Wataru... and all of you keep me from falling into conceit," Nagato replied without missing a beat.

"That's true... so who will be going with you to Konoha?"

"I'll be taking Yahiko and Yukina. Musashi and Wataru will help you out while I'm gone."

"Very well, Amekage-sama. Good luck."

"Yeah. Hope I can run into Jiraiya-sensei, he's not going to believe what we've managed to do."

"Yes..."

Konan smiled sadly as she saw Nagato donning the red cloak with black clouds they had agreed on wearing before as a symbol of their group and its ambitions. _It was so long ago. Konoha was so long ago. Yahiko was so long ago. Have you really forgiven them, Nagato?_

* * *

Soon after the triumphant return to Konoha and the debriefing, Gaara (acting as Chiyo-sama's intermediary) was in a private audience with the Fifth Hokage and Jiraiya, trying to put the puzzle together as to how everything seemed to fall into place a bit too well.

"A lot of this doesn't make sense."

"Indeed. Normally, I would be satisfied with seeing our debt to Konoha mitigated - but the way these events have happened leave a lot of speculation... a lot of looking between the lines."

Was it the two Sannin's imagination or did the youngest child of the Fourth Kazekage have a streak of nobility in his speech?

It must have been the genes, or that old bat Chiyo gave him etiquette lessons on the side.

"Even stranger... Rain's walls may have been cut off, but based on what I've been getting, my information network is still somehow online within it," Jiraiya said.

"But do we know the other villages Ame allied with to mount this invasion, even in part? It's just too simple to assume that they managed to sneak in around a thousand active ninja of all ranks into Fire Country. Unless..."

Their old comrade immediately returned to memory.

When they added the last of the three Sannin into the equation, the whole mess started to make sense, but for every plausible answer they came up with, the more questions, possibilities and food for the speculative mind seemed to pop out of the woodwork.

"I need a drink," the two Sannin said simultaneously, causing Sabaku no Gaara to shrug.

The whole affair was the sort of thing that legends were made of, as the secondary team Konoha sent to assist and maybe retrieve their team saw the aftermath of their epic battle - cementing these events onto the history of the continent.

For better or for worse, and whether they liked it or not, their battle would end up starting the legend of the Saviors of Konoha, the Sound Six, and the Three Sand Siblings.

* * *

"Good day, Jiraiya-sama."

"Nagato? Is that really you?" Jiraiya said in absolute shock as he saw the red-haired young man walk into the anteroom of the Hokage's office with his two bodyguards in tow. "And you have Yahiko with you, as well."

"That's not entirely correct, Jiraiya-sama," Yahiko said, bowing to the toad Sannin. "But in a manner of speaking, yes, I am here, and I am also happy to see you in good health."

The third one, a young woman wearing her orange hair in two braids over her ears, likewise bowed to the nigh-legendary ninja.

"I am called Chikushu Yukina - and I am one of Nagato-sama's personal guard."

"How is Konan?"

"She's doing surprisingly well, she's done quite the job on reconstructing Ame," Nagato answered his old sensei. "The studies we've done showed that the immediate suburbs of Amegakure are the major growth spots, so we're currently focused on them."

"That's great," Jiraiya answered. "Well, don't let me waste any of your time any longer, Nagato-san. Speaking of which, it's a long distance from Ame. What brings you here?"

"I come to speak to the Godaime Hokage, regarding the change of regime in Amegakure."

"So I heard. My spy network remained somewhat intact after the revolution there, but they haven't gotten around to telling me who the Ame-nin are calling their 'Amekage' is."

Nagato smiled. _There's the pitch, and now here comes the squeeze._

"I never really liked the title or thought it appropriate, but heck, it's what the people want, so there," the redhead said with a quick raise of his brows. "You're looking at him, Jiraiya-sensei."

If the Toad Sage's jaw could fall to the floor at this, it would have at the revelation.

* * *

It was at the Cenotaph where Precia Testarossa found her charge Uzumaki Naruto, staring at the Memorial Stone in sadness and confusion.

"...so I heard about your first big mission," the jonin began. "Is it true that Sai's dead?"

"I heard the truth of it from my Device. The person I knew as Sai was just... something... temporary..." Naruto said, his tone turning hateful at that word, "...that would be gone when that Sieghart fellow took control. I thought it was bogus, but then I saw Sieghart use one of Sai's ink-summoning techniques, and then it just hit me."

"Naruto..." Precia said. "All Devices - Intelligent, Armed, or Unison - have a governor built into them that renders them honest. They can withhold the truth, but not outright lie."

Several minutes of silence passed.

"So... that's it, isn't it?"

"Consider him lost," Precia answered, shifting her look towards the Memorial Stone.

"What if there's still a chance I can bring him back? Even then, Sieghart's not going to want to..." Naruto muttered, face still turned towards the Stone.

"Maybe, maybe not. Listen..." Precia said, her tone softening slightly, "I know it's tough... but you've got to find a way through this, Naruto."

Naruto faced her with a look of anguish, confusion, and sorrow.

"Where do I go from here?" he asked.

"Back then... I didn't know. Nobody ever told me how to deal with failing."

He looked back at the stone and nodded slowly.

While the hope that he could yet bring his teammate back burned within him, pressing concerns and the few questions he wanted to ask Precia and his Device about what Sieghart really was seemed to dampen that fire.

* * *

"First things first, Hokage-sama," Nagato began shortly after their informal meeting came to order, "I would like to extend my thanks to one of your ninja. Her name sounded foreign."

Tsunade knew **EXACTLY** who the Amekage referred to, and why. "I've known Precia Testarossa for quite some time now, and I'm pretty sure she didn't take part in any missions that involved assisting your resistance group."

"Be that as it may, she has done me a tremendous personal favor."

Tsunade smirked. "I think I know which personal favor you're referring to... but you have to thank my old sensei for that, as he was the mastermind of our little... uprooting, as we call it now."

Nagato's eyes twinkled.

"So what I've been hearing isn't embellished?"

"Exactly so. We've only just begun unraveling the web of intrigues that war hound left behind, so it's inevitable that Konoha will end up stepping on other Hidden Village's toes, if you pardon the expression."

Nagato nodded. "No offense taken. But Hokage-sama, consider those part of a Hidden Village's growing pains."

"These growing pains, though beneficial," the Hokage concurred, "come at a most inopportune time, though. This is a big risk we're taking, especially even with our alliances, a hidden war is brewing."

"A hidden war being brewed by hidden villages? Who would have thought that would happen?" Nagato asked.

They both shared a small laugh as Tsunade motioned her assistant to pour out a glass of (what did Precia-san name it as? Right, right...) champagne for the Amekage.

* * *

The aftermath of the invasion and the discovery of the thought-to-be-lost Uchiha files on their bloodline had Uchiha Sasuke in a working frenzy.

Once he was well enough and cleared to resume his work on the clan compound, he slowly put together the research notes of his distant ancestor Madara, and made several startling discoveries about the vaunted Sharingan bloodline ability.

First off was that there were actually three domains of the Mangekyo Sharingan: the domain of Amaterasu, where the activation came from despair; Tsukuyomi, from remorse; and Susanoo, from loneliness.

These domains were also subdivided along the two paths: the path of Destruction and Creation.

Unfortunately, so said the annotations, during the time this research was ongoing, the ninja world was in upheaval, and Konohagakure was but in its infancy. What had promised to be a sixfold path had been reduced to one: the destructive domain of Amaterasu, mistranslated by the following Clan heads to be achieved by murdering the one person closest to you.

There simply was no time left in correcting this oversight, as village affairs pushed the Uchiha ancestor's erstwhile work into the back burner, with the Valley of the End as the unfortunate result.

Sasuke finally sighed after reading through the whole thing once.

_So... I unlocked the Creative domain, _Sasuke thought after reading through Madara's notes for the very first time. _What technique do I specialize in, though?_

He willed his eyes to transform into the red blades of his Mangekyo and read through the research notes again, trying to find a clue as to who and where he could turn to so that he could begin harnessing his bloodline better.

* * *

"Yes, while I have associated with that organization you call Akatsuki once, it was not the proverbial 'deal with the devil' you perceive it to be."

"What can you tell us about Akatsuki then, Amekage-sama?"

Nagato sighed. "Please, I have not been completely accustomed to the title... do call me Nagato. Anyway, as to Akatsuki, I am only cleared to tell you very little... because I am a mere honorary member of the group for providing them with a logistical center for their operations up until the point of Hanzo's defeat."

"All right," Tsunade said. "We need every bit of information we can about that group, because we've heard many conflicting things about them."

While the Fifth Hokage was asking the Amekage for this favor, Nagato's eyes remained closed, mentally weighing the repercussions of what his disclosure might bring. But because the fact remained that it was **HIS** village that went on the attack, he would have to make concessions - the biggest reason was that the factions in Kumogakure that supported Hanzo outnumbered those who supported him.

He'd have to play his cards carefully else this spiral out of control.

"Contrary to popular belief, the Akatsuki is not a group whose aim is world domination..." Nagato began, "...true to its nature as a group of powerful missing-nin, the power concentrated in its members will make those who know about their existence tend to think towards it."

"The Akatsuki itself is neutral towards this perception of them. If any, they find it a boon, for they can carry on their real mission under cover of their reputation. I cannot say any more about what their ultimate aim is, but rest assured that they will remain within the background for about three years more."

"Three years?"

"I have not been privileged with why. Consider this a grace period by which you can train your shinobi for their eventual reappearance. I heard it took four of your jonin to barely keep up with two of them."

"Is that all about the Akatsuki you can spare?"

"I am afraid so, Hokage-sama."

"Very well, I'll not pry any further. But if you would, the non-aggression accord still needs to be signed."

"Oh, I almost forgot. Very well," Nagato said, and with a flourish, put off what would have ended up as the Fourth Great Ninja World War for a couple of years.

After signing the document, Nagato looked up to see the Godaime looking out her window into the mountain where the heads of the previous four Hokages were carved.

"A beautiful view," he mused as he stepped to her side, taking in the sights of Konohagakure.

A comfortable silence followed, as both leaders were left to their own thoughts as their eyes roamed over the landscape.

"Jiraiya told me something the day before you arrived," Tsunade whispered, breaking the lull in conversation. "He told me about your family."

"Leave it to Jiraiya-sensei to spill my secrets," Nagato answered with more than a little irritation. "If there was one thing wanting about him, it is discretion."

"True, true... but for what it's worth..." the Godaime replied, "and since I am the Hokage, the personification of Konoha itself... on behalf of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, I offer you my apologies."

Nagato's eyes widened. This was totally not what he expected to hear from his fellow Kage. His mind started whirring with the possibilities.

_Is this a moment of weakness for her? Or for me? What could she be planning by saying this?_

His eyes started to flutter as the thoughts threatened to overwhelm him.

_Easy, Nagato._

_**Yahiko.**_

_You heard it. Konoha's trying to do right by everyone now._

_**Why?**_

_We might be ninja, but doing the right thing because it IS the right thing to do isn't completely foreign to us._

**_That's what some of the samurai who worked with us said._**

_Doesn't make it any less true._

_**Wataru?**_

_You forget, I AM a samurai._

_**Oh... right.**_

_But Nagato... you've told us several times that Konoha ninjas killed your parents._

_The Hokage is asking for your forgiveness now._

_Are you so much better than her that you will not accept?_

_**No.**_

Nagato blinked.

He felt his eyes water and a tear roll down his cheek.

"...Thank you..." he finally told the Hokage. "And... I forgive you and Konoha for what happened then."

"I'm glad to hear that," Tsunade replied.

Another moment of silence went by as the two kept a small vigil over the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

"Well..." Nagato said after several minutes of silence had passed, "I suppose I should get going. Konan will probably be cross."

"Thank you for coming to us first and clearing up what could have been a grave misunderstanding."

"It is my pleasure, Hokage-sama," Nagato replied, bowing courteously. "Still though, being here... I can't help it. The pain of long ago keeps coming back."

Tsunade nodded and placed a sympathetic hand on the redhead's shoulder. "I know what you mean. It never gets better... we only grow strong enough to bear it."

"Your family?"

"My brother. And my beloved."

Nagato slowly closed his eyes and nodded understandingly. It seemed that for all his power, there were a few things he had to be there for to get what they really meant.

...and that despite what he'd been told, you didn't need to look that deep to see that there were far more resemblances between people - ninja or otherwise - than he first thought.

It served to buoy his spirit somewhat, seeing that they weren't so different after all.

"I guess this means that we'll be getting along quite nicely, so the saying goes..." he said as he was about to leave. "If you have the time, please look into the small group Konan and I put together."

"She named it the 'Breaking Dawn'," Nagato added. "Nifty, huh?"

That was when he swept his crimson robes around as he walked out of the Hokage's office, his diplomatic mission completed.

* * *

It was without much fanfare that several of the Konoha-nin saw off the three Sand Siblings several days later.

What happened after that was especially notable, as the kunoichi of the Rookie Ten got together after their teams' respective daily D-Rank mission to pay one of their fellows a social call.

They had agreed upon meeting up and going as a group to visit Tenten, the kunoichi of Team Guy.

Speaking of Team Guy, while the replacement of Rock Lee with Momochi Haku had balanced them out ability-wise, it just wasn't the same without the apprentice of the self-declared Sublime Green Beast of Konoha.

That, and Tenten had the bad luck to end up with two ninja who, by the grace of all the kami in heaven, looked even better than she did (and occupied most of their small talk with how to care for their hair).

After hypothesizing this, there was only one thing Alicia, Hinata, Sakura and Ino could do - drop by and see how their colleague was doing.

When the training field behind Tenten's house came into view, Hinata gasped.

"It's that strange thing again," she whispered to Alicia.

"Siegfried, what's going on?" Alicia whispered to her Device.

_**"Visual Modification Field. This signature seems familiar..." **_her Device whispered back. _**"I shall dispel this Field for you and your companions."**_

"Please do."

When the flash of light that signaled the technique's successful activation subsided, it was Ino and Sakura who breathed out an awestruck "Wow..." at the sight of their colleague Tenten.

The bun-haired kunoichi was wearing an ensemble reminiscent of what the Daimyo's Royal Guard usually wore - more specifically their longbowmen. The outfit consisted of a white long-sleeved top with yellow trim, a dark green sash molded around the waist, leaf green hakama pants, and ninja sandals cut for both functionality and fashion. Despite the odd look, the outfit didn't turn out to be the most impressive thing they saw.

What had blown them away was that Tenten casually carried around a gigantic bow that seemed even bigger than she was and was flicking around massive arrows towards targets in the distance like senbon.

_**"Barrier Dispersed. It seems like we have some company, Master," **_a female voice echoed.

"Where'd that voice come from?" Ino asked, and Tenten turned around to find her fellow Konoha-nin gaping at her.

"I remember having my teammates say that I took a week off to do some training. Odd," she began. "Anyway, I was just wrapping up."

"We were supposed to get together five days ago. You know, talk about simple stuff. Life, the universe, and everything," Alicia told her Chunin Exam rival.

"Something strange came up," Tenten answered, and she let the story unfold while serving tea to her colleagues after ushering them into her family home's sitting room. The night before the pursuit mission came up, a dragon-masked ANBU came to her door and handed her an emerald-encrusted brooch which vaguely looked like a jeweled bow.

Things quickly got complicated when she found out that said brooch was not only the fabled Heart of Konoha, but was also some sort of artifact similar to the strange sword her Chunin Exam opponent used.

It was only after the pursuit team returned that Tenten mustered up enough courage to go to the Hokage and tell her about it, which Tsunade-sama seemed to expect - and after they brought in Alicia's mother, it was decided to let Tenten keep the Armed Device that went by the name of "Nova".

"So your Device thing... is a bow?"

"Yeah, that's right. After I got a few tips from Precia-san, I asked the Hokage for some time off to train," Tenten said proudly. "I've gotten most of my old accuracy back and will join Neji in taijutsu training when I finish my leave. So what's happening around Konoha?"

It need not be said that what followed was a rather long and entertaining conversation between the kunoichi, which was accompanied by Siegfried and Nova establishing a Data Link.

_Ronan? You're here too?_

_Elesis is here as well, and Lass too. Sieghart..._

_What about Sieghart?_

_He jumped villages. I think I know why he did._

_So, with nearly all of us already online once more after all these years... I guess I shall try to improve my Master's skills as thoroughly as possible._

_That we are already doing. I wonder how long will it be before the people here see the signs?_

_These people deal with secrets. If there is a sign, they might hold onto it as a secret._

_That... Lire... is what I'm starting to be afraid of._

_Shall we take a more proactive tack, then?_

_Nothing that will go against our original directives. You know this._

_Yes. After all, I still am a guardian of the forest. My kind has all but faded out, only existing as faded bloodlines carried by clans._

_Still, we are duty-bound._

_That we are... thankfully our Masters seem to be fit to wield our power._

_They most certainly are. I can vouch for your current Master's skill._

_Really? Please, do tell me more..._

* * *

He was once again spending part of his dreams in the mindscape, talking with the fox and Lass, the soul of his Armed Device.

"...I don't know what's happening anymore. Ever since I got the vest... things have been growing more and more complicated."

"You're talking about Orochimaru's use of a Device and his working for something else other than himself... among other things, right?"

Naruto nodded. "And effective Monday next week, I've been moved to Team 8. Precia-san will be taking over training Alicia; Shizune-san will be training Haku-chan in medical jutsu; and Jiraiya-sensei's been talking about taking me on a training trip or something."

"So they've started at last... Took them long enough to finally take this seriously," the Kyuubi said.

"But... why would Precia-san want to swap?"

Lass shot the boy a confused look. "You never bothered figuring it out?"

"I have enough on my mind already," Naruto replied.

"Which is where the problem lies," Kyuubi chimed in. "My guess is that it has something to do with the seal."

"The seal?" Naruto asked. "You guys need to see it?"

Lass nodded. "I felt a trickle of demonic chakra seep through during your fight with Gaara, and even more when you fought Sieghart."

"What are you getting at?"

"Think back to what Precia said."

Naruto channeled some chakra and willed the seal binding him and the Demon Fox together to become visible, and took a few moments to remember what his guardian's reasons were for releasing him...

* * *

"Mr. Uzumaki."

The voice and the nickname meant it was only one person who said that.

"Mr. Uchiha," Naruto said, eyes remaining closed and staying in his position.

Naruto was at one of the larger Training Grounds and meditating when he heard that odd nickname Sasuke gave him, way back at the start of the Konoha Ninja Academy.

He grinned a bit as his mind drifted back to the start of his ninja education: it was then that the bizarre rivalry with the Uchiha began, and Naruto didn't know if it was formally ended or not.

That was until Sasuke - who had heard of his exploits and his achievement of going beyond the Yondaime Hokage's single-battle kill count in the Third Ninja World War - wanted to see firsthand how Mr. Uzumaki could pull it off with two words.

"Fight me."

Naruto opened his eyes and smiled.

"I've been under a lot of stress lately," he began as he eased himself up from the standard meditative seating position.

"Been beating myself up over a pretty big failure," he continued as he produced a pair of kunai from his back pouch.

"...so hope you won't mind if I vent a little."

Sasuke grinned.

"I've got a lot to get off my chest as well. And you've stolen a lot of everyone's thunder with that whole 'Yondaime's record' thing."

"It's no big deal to me and Hinata," Naruto explained. "Unless you're being insecure, is that it?"

"Insecure?" Sasuke asked as he got out his own kunai. "Why, whatever gave you that idea? I've made my own strides, if you must know."

"Then we're going to raise the stakes. How about it?"

Sasuke only answered by rushing in quickly and slashing with his kunai - which was parried by an expectant Naruto.

"I guess that's a yes," the Uzumaki replied as he flowed into the counterattack.

* * *

It was about him learning too many things too quickly.

Kyuubi and Lass smiled in appreciation.

"You're finally starting to get it, kid."

"Indeed. Normally, a Device requires next-to-no control over one's chakra, mana, ki, rei, whatever you want to call it - but, with your unique situation, you'll have to go beyond mere adept level."

"But I've already made progress with..."

"I'm taking about how mastery is required before you can try to transcend into Scimitar Form and beyond. Right now, if you try to upgrade Reynard... who knows how much the seal will be compromised."

Naruto was a little unnerved at the sudden change. "I know it might be a bad time now, but why don't you want the seal to be compromised? If it was, then you could have found a way to leave."

The fox shook its head. "That's it. I didn't choose to leave then; I don't plan on leaving now - or in the near future."

"Why?"

At the magic word, the fox let out one of its trademark grins. "That's how you make sense of all this. I'm not going to give you the answers you need right off the bat. The pieces are everywhere around you, and finding them and putting it together is the real challenge."

_Well, _Naruto thought as he nodded, _at least there's something I CAN do while trying to make sense of all this. _"All right, I'm resuming my training."

"We'll start working tomorrow."

"Prepare yourself. The road to mastery will be a long and arduous one."

"I know, I know..."

* * *

After Sasuke had launched into his patented Uchiha Clan taijutsu attack, Naruto's movements shifted: he seemed to move like water - dodging all the hits at the last moment, dancing around the Uchiha's attacks and countering with taps that signified powerful blows. The Uchiha Clan's style was all about rapid striking, but the flowing, rhythmic pace of Naruto's forms seemed to just glide around them, negating both the speed and skill advantage.

Within minutes Naruto had taken the lead in their impromptu spar.

When the Uchiha backpedaled to a position better suited to view the subtleties of Naruto's stance, he got the big picture of how this guy got a whole lot better.

"That stance... you've been adapting an ANBU style taijutsu, haven't you?"

Naruto nodded.

Sasuke changed his stance in response and charged, and this time, the spar seemed a lot more closer.

After tapping each other's noses at what would have been a cross-counter, the two ninja leaped backwards and grinned.

"You're not the only one who's been training under an ex-ANBU."

Naruto laughed. The basics of ANBU taijutsu were an open secret to either chunin who wanted into ANBU, genin members of ranking clans, or genin who had ex-ANBU for jonin-sensei - it was Konoha's discreet way of advancing their genin and chunin skill in the Academy style, as the ANBU standard was simply a more advanced version of the basics.

"Oh, I believe that," Naruto said as his hands immediately went to his favorite cross seal when he felt Sasuke's chakra flare and his black eyes turn red. "The blinds just went up."

"You have no idea," Sasuke said as he flashed forward, Sharingan eyes spinning furiously.

Naruto made to parry his strike just before it would hit, but remembered the fight with Gaara, and that Sasuke could pull out a Chidori at the last moment. Chidori Senkou, that was what Kakashi-san called it, so said Aunt Precia over dinner several nights after he returned from bringing the Fifth Hokage back. He spun to the side and immediately swung his arms in preparation for the Rasengan.

_That chakra sequence, _Sasuke thought, _I can see him beginning to gather his chakra's momentum. Whatever that is, I'll make sure he can't do it. _"Oh... I can see you and what you're planning, but it's not going to work!" Sasuke said, interrupting the cast with a flurry of blows, forcing Naruto on the defensive. After throwing a thrust kick, the Uchiha's hands flew into seals, and he followed it up with a Goukakyu from near point-blank range.

That was when Naruto burst from the smoke of the fireball's impact, Reynard in his hands, Knight Armor online, and throwing a slash that Sasuke barely dodged.

After another exchange of blows between mana-powered dagger and chakra-reinforced kunai, Sasuke could feel Naruto's uncertainty with every strike. It was like with every new answer one got, several questions appeared as a result, and Sasuke knew the feeling.

Only the Uchiha had a hazy but workable outline for the near future - judging by Naruto's near-despair, that was something even Mr. Uzumaki couldn't have done.

"Looks like you weren't lying about being stressed," Sasuke mused.

"You're not the one who failed in his promise utterly," Naruto roared back.

"Is that so...?" Sasuke asked, his eyes beginning to change into the three red blades in a black field that was his Mangekyo. "You're not the worst failure around here... I am."

"How can you say that?" Naruto asked as he threw a Bloody Dagger, which Sasuke answered with a consecutive cast of the Housenka no Jutsu. "You're the great freaking Uchiha! Last of a prestigious clan, #1 male rookie, apprentice of the great Copy Ninja! I was a deadbeat orphan before I stumbled onto Precia-san and Alicia-san; and I don't know if I could have survived everything if it wasn't for Reynard and the one sealed within me!"

"You don't see what you've accomplished because you're fixated on your mistakes! Every day I stay here, every day I ward off the temptation to leave Konoha for more power, I fail! You know what that scumbag of a brother I had told me after brutally murdering cousin Shisui, the clan, father... **MOTHER?** He told me to run. He told me to cling to my life. And he told me to grow stronger so I can avenge the Uchiha! Every... freaking day..." Sasuke replied, their exchange of attacks gradually growing more and more fervent, "I am reminded of how much I've failed in my duty as an avenger of the Uchiha!"

"You're freaking blind!" Naruto screamed in frustration as Sasuke's Housenka crashed into him, forcing the Uzumaki to dispel his Knight Armor outward to be able to use ninjutsu once more. "The bonds you strengthen here will make you much stronger more than any duty to avenge will! And whoever said that you're not supposed to avenge the clan with help?"

"It is my duty, mine alone!"

"Says who?"

"That's what an avenger does!"

"Who the hell made that ruling?"

"Who the hell said you were a mistake?"

Sasuke's Goukakyu and Naruto's Teppodama crashed into each other in a terrific explosion of smoke. Upon clearing, there were two lights: one was a crackling, chirping point dancing between the fingers of the Uchiha; the other was a spinning ball of chakra humming a mournful cry as it grew in the space between the palms of the Uzumaki.

"You need to count your blessings," Sasuke said between gritted teeth as he readied his jutsu.

"And you need to know that you're not alone," Naruto replied as he revved up the spinning of his jutsu.

"Come on!"

"Eat this!"

The two of them fired their respective techniques in unison...

* * *

The ANBU had arrived to see a terrific sight: Training Ground #14 was a mangled mess: craters, chakra fire, trees uprooted, drag marks, and all other sorts of rubble were strewn all over what had previously been an open training field.

There were two rather large craters in the middle of the field, and in those craters, the ANBU saw two ninja lying out flat.

And both of them were quietly laughing.

As the medic-nins came to haul Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke out of their rather heated sparring match, the blonde chunin and dark-haired genin were still talking.

"I'd say that's a draw."

"Yeah, I guess we'll write that one down as a draw."

"How about next week?"

"Ugh, I'm bushed. How about next month?" Sasuke asked.

His sparring partner's eyes, which were clouded with uncertainty before their training exercise, were now shining brightly again.

Both of them grinned all the way to the hospital, the consequences of their little stunt forgotten for the moment.

* * *

Preserve momentum during the first phase of the attack.

Unleash all stored energy during the second phase.

"Eat this: GRINDING PUNISHER!"

After two waves of purple energy blazed through the training area, six people crashed to the ground, momentarily immobilized.

"There! Now I'm all~ warmed up."

The only girl in that training group gazed into Sieghart's gray eyes with something that looked like a bad mix of disbelief and panic.

_**THAT WAS JUST A WARM-UP? **_Tayuya thought, horror beginning to flood through her.

Sieghart went into his fighting stance once more, but before he could start flaring his aura, relief came to the Sound Five in the form of an intercom announcement.

"Paging Sieghart. Orochimaru wishes to see you."

The black-haired warrior simply grunted, sighed, and dissipated his aura.

"Looks like we're done for the day..." he said.

"That's you talking. Don't you see that we're done for the week?" a comical pile of six arms and two legs sprawled on the dojo floor said.

"You have that creepy guy with the glasses - I'll make sure to tell him to kiss your boo-boos and make them all better," Sieghart retorted, enjoying the strange green tinge the faces of his training partners suddenly sprouted at his reply.

"I'll tell him to kiss yours double, Kidomaru!" he added as a parting shot just before he closed the door of the dojo behind him.

Several moments passed before Kimimaro finally spoke.

"What an ass."

The other four of them nodded in agreement before following their Chief in hauling their beaten forms up from the practice area.

* * *

"Explain to me why I shouldn't slap the both of you with suspensions or worse. Especially you, Uchiha, as the documents you've been sending to me have treasonous implications within," the Fifth Hokage began. "Just over a week since we nearly end up in the Fourth Great Ninja World War... and the two of you go off and tear up a training ground, use A-rank ninjutsu and nearly end up killing each other - all for a sparring match?"

"Beg your pardon, Hokage-sama," both of the ninja concerned said. Sasuke spoke up first. "Mr. Uzumaki had a lot of things he wanted off his chest. Simply hitting it out of him wouldn't have done the trick."

"Mr. Uchiha on the other hand seriously thought about leaving the village for more power, but I had to beat the importance of strengthening your bonds into him, Hokage-sama," Naruto explained. "Besides, by the time I had Reynard out and he turned that freaky eye thing on-"

"It's the Sharingan, you dope. How many times do I have to tell its name to you?"

"Fine, fine, Mr. Uchiha - the Sharingan. As I was saying," Naruto continued, "we had the whole situation under control. Mr. Uchiha and I knew that several ANBU and some of the jonin sent to see what was going on were watching, so we toned it down a bit. Though my Rasenhou still needs polishing."

"You aimed an A-rank technique at Uchiha Sasuke?" the Hokage asked, horrified.

"No, he was aiming for a boulder to my right," Sasuke answered. "Mr. Uzumaki knows I tend to the left when dodging, and he wanted to show off. Thus, I also aimed wide with the Chidori Jishakudan by pointing it away from the ANBU and the jonin. Come to think of it, I guess wanted to show off at the time, too..."

"Still, this is a patent irresponsibility! I've half a mind to take your vest away, Uzumaki, but..." Tsunade said, "...I'll have to settle for limiting you to D-Ranks for the next two weeks."

"That's acceptable."

"You and your team, Uchiha."

He grunted. Kiba and Sakura would not like how he hung them out to dry just like that.

But... his duty to straighten out Mr. Uzumaki had priority. After all, this rivalry had started at the Ninja Academy, all the way to the Chunin exams, and not only did he get the vest before him, he also managed to beat the Yondaime's record of highest amount of hostile ninja neutralized in one battle!

_Still, _he thought, _I'll soldier through the D-Ranks. I can read more about my bloodline and train on the side, as well as iron out the kinks of the Jishakudan with Kakashi-sensei... silver linings._

"Uzumaki. Your penalty will be different. My old teammate needs an auxillary to manage his spy networks and sort through the coded transmissions. Two weeks."

"Jiraiya-sama?"

"That's right. Who knows, maybe you can put even that old pervert to shame with how often you blunder face-first into all sorts of trouble."

Naruto's face reddened at the barb the Hokage tossed at him.

"...All right, Hokage-sama."

Senju Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, sighed. "I'll give you two over lunch to finish the required paperwork. Until then, dismissed."

After the two teenage ninja left the Hokage's office, the Hokage beckoned to her assistant.

"Who's next on today's list of appointments?"

"Um, Precia Testarossa, but she is not in your list of appointments today."

"Even then, I asked a detailed report and critique from her on that little sparring incident. Heard she had witnessed the beginning of the spar all the way to the end. Let her in."

Shizune nodded and went for the door, ushering the mage / Konoha jonin into the Hokage's office.

Tsunade was about to begin with her usual snark, but stalled when she saw that the jonin's eyes had been rimmed with red.

"Something came up?"

"I... I'd like to request a reassignment of teams... Hokage-sama."

The Godaime shot a quick look at her assistant, who quickly proceeded to pour out a glass of water for the purple-haired lightning specialist.

"All right... but that doesn't seem to be the whole story. You wouldn't mind telling me about it, would you?" she asked maternally (even though the Hokage was younger than the other woman by a few months).

Another look at Shizune, and she cut a quick exit, closing the door behind her and engaging the security seals.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I'd like you to switch Alicia and Naruto's place in the current team assignments... because I've made a critical mistake in Uzumaki Naruto's training and education, and he's been paying for it ever since," Precia began, resigned.

"In what way?"

Precia then went into a detailed description of what Naruto's physique went through when he tried to use jutsu with his Device active: because of the upkeep of the seal, the feedback slowly made Naruto's chakra coils deteriorate.

What was worse was that Naruto and his Device were currently "mode-locked" - he could not access Reynard's higher forms without the seal being compromised and putting the fragile mental state of the Fox (now that the Fox also did its task in keeping the stability of the seal) in peril.

There was a temporary solution - use the Fox's demonic chakra to charge Naruto's supply of cartridges, but it fell apart when Naruto tried to load jutsus within the cartridges themselves. This was evident when Naruto tried using his cartridges while Reynard was in Scimitar or Cypher Form - the backwash literally ate at his chakra coils.

And now, Naruto wanted to be both a skilled ninja and mage, and was now forced to choose between one or the other.

It was a sighing Tsunade that finally got her assistant on the intercom to go and summon Yuuhi Kurenai to her office.

* * *

"Good timing, Sieghart," Orochimaru said as the black-haired gladiator casually strode into the Shodai Otokage's office.

"So... have you considered my proposal?" Sieghart asked.

Yakushi Kabuto barely concealed his contempt at how familiarly this young man addressed his master. "We have. And stop doing that."

"Doing what?"

"What Kabuto says is that your current pose is most... foppish," the snake Sannin said at Sieghart leaning on his custom-made sword as one would a cane. To the two Sound-nin, he looked more like a dandy from the Daimyo's court with that pose (add to that his trademark of wearing his jacket like an overcoat) than an immortal warrior who just recently shredded through three hundred Rain-nin like a hot knife through butter.

"Okay then," Sieghart answered, shifting to a more formal posture. "And the proposal?"

"Accepted, on one non-negotiable condition."

Sieghart nodded. The sooner he could go under cover of Oto's spymaster, the sooner he could seek out and begin the events that would end up gathering the Chase. Time was of the essence, and as he saw the Otokage's serpentine eyes glimmer, Sieghart somehow sensed that similar thoughts were also on Orochimaru's mind.

"That won't be a problem. What condition would it be?"

"Kabuto, leave us."

The silver-haired medic's eyes widened, but he up and left the office quickly. When the door had been shut behind him and the security seals engaged, Orochimaru continued. "This one's off the books, you see."

"TSAB work?" Sieghart asked, quickly deducting that anything personally ordered by the Otokage would have something to do with the recent glut of information B4U had been receiving about the Elemental Countries entering the radar of the TSAB.

"I'm afraid so. There's been a leak in Storage Devices and assorted equipment towards the Elemental Countries from Midchilda."

"Dammit," Sieghart swore. "What do you need done?"

"Find the leak and eliminate it. My most recent contacts have limited this leak's reach somewhere either in Kumo or in Iwa."

"I wonder how quickly the Bureau will find their end of this leak. How soon?"

"As soon as possible, and since we're in their Black Ops list of worlds, it won't be found until it wants to be found."

Sieghart let loose a bunch of curses. "Politics... it figures. Anyway, do I get a support team? If possible, I'd like to get the Sound Five with me."

"That... I can't allow. Manpower issues, I need every loyal Oto-nin of tokubetsu jonin and above close to home. You know the drill."

"Yes, that much is true..." Sieghart answered. "But for all my combat skill, a support unit would hasten the success of this mission significantly."

"I know that, and that's why I've already had Kabuto bring these out," Orochimaru said, tossing over a sheaf of folders with pictures attached to Sieghart.

After the immortal had read through the files, he returned them, smiled, and nodded. The personnel described within were a bit rough on the edges, but would theoretically synergize well. "Barring a few exercises for team bonding, they'll do excellently. How soon do you want me out of Rice Country?"

"Tomorrow noon, if you can. Spend the rest of the day in preparation. You'll meet the team tomorrow morning at 0500."

"Great. Thanks for the opportunity. You'll be getting your stuff from the usual sources or should I use a sentient ink scroll?"

"Usual sources. Code them if you need to. Good luck, Sieghart... and good hunting. Dismissed."

Sieghart gave his current employer a predatory grin that promised a world of hurt for his targets before raising his hand in a three-fingered salute (a/n: Sieghart's pointer and middle fingers are raised and forming a 90-degree angle with the thumb). "You got it, Boss."

Once Sieghart had left the office, Kabuto made his return. "You made him our secondary spymaster?"

"Of course, Kabuto. Someone of his power... would be better off with a very long leash."

"Suppose he turns on us, master... what then?"

"He will - and I've prepared for that eventuality... but not now. At present, his objectives and Oto's are not in conflict. You've seen him in action, he is not to be openly antagonized."

"Yes, master. Also, why hand THEM over to his care?"

"It saves on the upkeep cost, and I get to have those loose cannons working for me, in a way. Kabuto, our personnel problems need to be addressed quickly. We cannot continue to be a ninja village of missing-nin, recidivists and newbie genin."

"Very well, sir."

"Preparations must be made. The witching hour closes in..." Orochimaru finally said in dismissal. "See to your tasks and research, Kabuto."

"As you command, master."

Orochimaru looked at his carefully bandaged arm and smiled. It would be the longest of long shots in his ninja career, but he could see his dreams coming to fruition...

...And then he would remember the vision, and wish he could do more in what little time he had left...

* * *

Some time had passed since Naruto and Alicia switched team assignments: with Haku temporarily on Team Guy, Alicia was for the moment her mother's apprentice. Strangely, the whisker-marked blonde seemed to understand why this had to happen, responding with surprising maturity that even if Precia-san might no longer be his sensei, she would remain his guardian.

Jiraiya the Toad Sage and Naruto had meanwhile made great progress in analyzing how the Seal, Reynard, the Kyuubi, the demonic chakra and his own chakra coils interacted. By now, Reynard was teaching his available skills for the Dolchsform that were similar to the jutsu Naruto usually took to battle - a decent compromise, considering that normal Naruto and Naruto in Knight Armor had different enough chakra signatures for the boy to make use of his stealth skills.

Neither did he slouch on training his ninja skills along with his fuinjutsu and cryptography studies - in fact, Naruto had singlehandedly decoded the latest transmission from a resistance cell in Kiri that aimed to cease the decades-long civil war ongoing in the islands and was now asking for Konoha's help.

He himself delivered the coded message to the Hokage herself after his joint D-rank with Team 8, whose members were not that hard to get along with. After all, Shino and Hinata were his fellows from the Academy, and he knew that Kurenai-sensei had excellent genjutsu skills and was no slouch in the other two departments as well.

It was then that the Hokage called for Team 8, Team Guy, and Team Precia for a joint mission: to support the resistance in Kiri from the shadows.

"We're getting another teammate, Hokage-sama?" Alicia asked. It was just two rather peaceful weeks since the matter that could have been the "Fourth Great Ninja World War" was resolved, with the advent of the newly-dubbed Amekage - a shy red-haired young man by the name of Nagato. (If you asked anyone, they'd automatically dismiss him as ordinary, except for those piercings and the bizarre ringed gray eyes he had.)

"That's right. We've done a few rescue operations from potential defectors in Iwagakure, and some of them want to pay their debt by signing up for the forces. Two of them would make a great addition to your team, Testarossa-san." Tsunade answered. "If you please, Shizune?"

The door to the Hokage's office opened, and in walked the slug Sannin's apprentice with two girls about Naruto's age - maybe younger.

Precia could not help but gasp at the two girls before her, even with her self-control.

"This is the team I was talking to you about before... Meet Team 11... or Team Precia, as we call them nowadays," Tsunade said towards the girl. "Team 8... meet Shinkuu... and Sein."

The elder Testarossa could only pale as the two girls bowed before the Hokage... and did the one they call Sein just knowingly wink at her?

Chapter 29 - **END**

* * *

**a/n:** The plot thickens, dun dun dun...

a. The Breaking Dawn is **NOT** the Akatsuki, obviously. Sorry for making this chapter center on Nagato, but this will serve to bring home more of the central themes in the story. And yes, I did shamelessly grab the end of the Nagato vs. Hanzo fight - among many other things - from everyone's favorite Spiral-powered anime. Likewise, Nagato's "Paths" are different. How different and why? Feel free to speculate.

b. Slight error geography-wise, though it can be addressed by simple tactics regarding pathways. Ninjas love pincer attacks, put in better terms.

c. Newer revelations in the canon show that it's in the genes, after all. I might gloss over this in part 2, it doesn't dent the theory I have on the sealing anyway.

d. Did a little experimenting with fight scenes with the "sparring from hell". I don't know if it's detailed enough. Work it out with me, please?

e. The Mangekyo of my version of Sasuke is simply Itachi's with the red and black switched.

f. Naruto knows Teppodama because that is his other primary elemental affinity. And just like Haku, Naruto will learn Hyouton jutsu (but not be as good at it as Haku is. Besides, I'll give the Bridget-dropper a power-up of his own).

g. Yeah, things are starting to get complicated with those two suddenly showing up. And why not? Both of them are the flattest in the group, and can easily masquerade as younger. "Shinkuu", especially. :3

Next chapter: We are further drawn into what will become the Fourth Ninja World War: more cloak and dagger, and a parting of the ways.

To god-of-stuff: Just google "Grand Chase" and you'll probably find several wiki entries to help you get started. It's not necessary now, but will be come time skip.

And after Chapter 30 and possibly 31 comes the timeskip. I may write gaiden stories revolving around the misadventures of Team 7 and Team Guy during the timeskip itself, covering several theories about the Naruto universe that you might find interesting.


	30. Destiny

_disclaimer:_ Naruto = Kishimoto; Nanoha = Seven Arcs; Grand Chase = KoG; Long Tall Sally = Little Richard; Metal Gear Solid = Kojima Hideo; and any other copyrighted material is trademark of their respective owners.

A poll regarding part 2 is now up. Check out my profile.

Also, there exists a spoiler alert among the Author's Notes.

The plot outline of Part 2 is going along fine, if you want to know.

Here's the second-to-the-last chapter: as usual, read on and enjoy!

* * *

_Everything felt like it happened a lifetime ago. What I wanted was acknowledgment. What I received was a family._

_Paths are laid before us every day. It is only when we reach a crossroads that everything changes._

_And sometimes, we end up in these crossroads without even noticing. Will I be strong enough to take the right road?_

_Naruto: Arcane Heart will now begin._

* * *

_**Naruto: Arcane Heart**_

**Chapter 30: Destiny**

* * *

It was supposed to be just another caravan hit.

The last time Mushimaru and his ragtag group of bandits pulled it off successfully, there were only a few militia guards hired by the trade caravan - they were easy to deal with and subdue; and then make off with the finest of the caravan's products to sell on the black market.

Now, though, Mushimaru was wondering whether they bit off more than they could chew at this development - the trade caravan must have spent a pretty penny to hire ninjas.

Not just ninjas - **KONOHA** ninjas.

It might have been just a standard cell of one jonin and three underlings... but the way the one with the strange sky-blue trench coat danced around the main assault group and beat them all senseless frightened Mushimaru to the core.

He was about to turn tail and run when a blonde boy suddenly appeared in front of him and incapacitated him with the butt of a kunai to the back of the neck.

How could it have gone so wrong?

* * *

Seven days had passed; and the week was filled with C-Rank missions in and around Konohagakure - slowly but surely, life was going back to its usual pace. After TWO failed invasions, surely Konoha had learned its lesson...

If you asked one who was named the "Nine-Tailed Demon Fox", he would tell you that a certain Uzumaki Naruto was making even faster progress than he thought. This was the very same Naruto who was now meshing well with Team 8 even if they'd only been working together for a short while.

After another successful C-Rank mission-slash-bandit strafing, it was back to Konoha, and here, Naruto took to the more arduous part of his training: to subjugate the vile chakra within him.

Deep within the recesses of his mind, the boy was going through the basics of fuinjutsu once more, reading the basic texts on several levels to see through to the rules and principles of the ancient art of sealing. He had already taken on the C-rank proficiency, and passed it easily - but everyone who knew him said that it was just the beginning.

He had intended to cut every corner and take every short cut he could, but that was not the way things worked: at the end of his sessions with Jiraiya the Toad Sage, the Sannin had found out that the upgraded seal on Naruto's stomach had a few secrets of its own, too.

* * *

While the boy was with his team and walking home from another mission accomplished, the soul of his Device and the entity within him were deep in conversation again.

"...so that's why you've been withholding those facts from him."

"No, I wouldn't put it that way - it's more like me wanting him to find those facts out for himself. There's a difference - besides... I've seen your style of fuinjutsu; more specifically, the thing you call a Velkan Magic Circle is similar to the ancient runes that the Rikudo Sennin used himself, all those eons ago."

"You will tell him that to find the answers, he has to start at what used to be Uzugakure, right?" Lass asked.

"The Uzumaki were THE Clan of the Whirpool - and judging by how Konoha's been treating the boy, it sounds like it's another ongoing conspiracy of silence."

"Within Konoha?"

"At least. Maybe this has gotten all over the Elemental Countries, too... Inari knows that Iwagakure is still sore over the Yellow Flash making mincemeat of their forces to be objective."

"Understatement of the decade," Lass mused, chuckling. "Does this mean the Bijuu are tied into it?"

"Most likely."

"Remind me again why we shouldn't at least help the boy along a bit?"

"Our information is incomplete, remember. Also, as I am a chakra-based life form, some critical parts of my memory were lost when I was sealed within-"

The Nine-Tailed Fox was interrupted when the spirit of Naruto's Device suddenly raised his head, sensing something amiss. A yellow light buzzed past Lass' field of vision. He put up his finger for silence when he guessed that it was something like a Wide Area Search function.

"Damn it," the former member of the Grand Chase cursed.

"What's wrong, Lass?"

"Color me paranoid, but... I don't think we're the only ones sealed within this boy..."

Even the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox blanched at this.

"Could it be... them?"

Lass' voice dropped to a murderous whisper. "Don't acknowledge their presence. As far as they know, they think we're oblivious to them. We don't talk about it, we don't tell Naruto about it, and we don't know anything about it."

"...you said, them..."

"...last thing I'll say about this anomaly, but I saw a red light with the yellow one."

"Say, there was this one time my sister and I tore through a fortress of demons. It was awesome," the Kyuubi began, immediately shifting his focus elsewhere.

"Do tell me the details, Kyuubi-san. I desire to know more of your life before ending up here," Lass replied, breathing a slow sigh of relief as soon as the anomalous presences vanished - but he knew in the back of his mind that it was always there, watching him, listening to him.

_Things are starting to get a little more complicated than before... _he thought as the Demon Fox continued weaving his tale of adventure.

"My sister grabbed those two crossbows and started shooting down demons! They thought she'd run out of ammo but her nifty kitsune powers allowed her to create crossbow bolts - all the while I was moving from shadow to shadow and slicing up the stragglers. Should've been there, Lass. It would have looked like a page right from your own book."

"Tell me... what was the name of that fortress?"

"Kamu-kaki-something... some winged, horned thing with two rings. Sieghart summoned an ink version of it back at the Valley."

**NOW **Lass was completely out of his element.

"How long ago did you say this happened?" he asked the Kyuubi.

* * *

"How secure is this room again, Testarossa-sensei?"

"Privacy seals by the Sannin Jiraiya himself. Only the Yondaime - bless his heart - could do better. Now, details."

"First off, we're scheduled to leave here within four to six weeks, Precia-san," the silver-haired girl began. "The Doctor will be making his move soon."

"By 'making his move', you mean 'his programming will kick in', don't you, Cinque?" Precia asked. "And no, don't try to deny it. I did help him out on several theoretical things - one of which was trying to escape his genetic legacy, so I know enough."

"And you know it's our duty to help him out, no matter what he does, right?" Sein asked.

"Yes, yes, of course..." Precia answered. "Still, it does not answer the most important question: why are you two here?"

"We've been sent here by the Doctor to find the inter-dimensional leak."

That got Precia surprised. "A leak?"

"Someone in the Bureau has been leaking assorted technology to the Elemental Countries. It hasn't gotten to the point where Storage Devices are being smuggled, but it's only a matter of time. Our sisters have combed every other Hidden Village - except Kumo, but our contact here says he's already sent a team."

"You have a contact in the Elemental countries?"

"Technically, the TSAB does not keep official tabs on un-administrated worlds, however..."

Precia gave a "hn" as she gathered her thoughts. Hrist's recent Data Exchanges suggest that Reynard - and by extension, Naruto - may know something about this, and that they were withholding it. Based on his mission log, the data blackout happened around the time he and Jiraiya-san went and brought back the present Hokage, where they ran into...

...into...

...Orochimaru.

Precia Testarossa's eyes widened as the facts started falling into place.

The official mission log said that during the battle, Orochimaru had a Device much like Naruto's which the snake Sannin used to nullify most of the boy's techniques.

_Orochimaru is the TSAB's man in this world._

_Sai - no, Sieghart - went to Orochimaru. Was this to obtain information on the TSAB and their plans?_

_And Orochimaru was doing the Bureau's dirty work - judging by the lack of TSAB mages popping out from nowhere, it was most likely to avoid the Elemental Countries from falling into the TSAB's purview - goodness knows what would happen if the Bureau KNEW she was here._

_Wait, why wouldn't a snake like Orochimaru use this as blackmail material or a bargaining chip? Not unless...  
_

"If you're worrying about being discovered by the Bureau, Precia-san, fear not. It is to everyone's benefit - yes, even the Bureau, though they don't know it yet - that you remain a relatively anonymous jonin in the service of Konoha," Cinque said, interrupting Precia's thoughts on the discrepancy she noticed between Orochimaru's perceived motivations and actual ones.

"While you and Sein masquerade... as genin?"

"Cinque-nee, what masquerade does she speak of?" Sein asked.

"Think nothing of it, Sein," the diminuitive member of the Number series answered. "Masquerade or not, this has been the most entertaining assignment we've had. I've archived some of the lower-level Iwagakure jutsu and am working on getting it onto hard copy; Sein and I are already working on some Konoha jutsu we can adapt for our siblings."

"You can mold chakra?" Precia asked.

"Not as much as we'd like, but it has helped our cover as genin - also, I've used the phrase 'Bloodline Limit' to explain our... unique physiology to both here and Iwagakure."

"That's good to hear. Since Alicia's not due to finish her shift on gatekeeper duty in several hours, why not tell me about how your other sisters are doing?"

Sein's eyes twinkled as she took in a breath, and Cinque just shrugged.

"For starters, Precia-sensei, there was this one time when we all went to the beach, and the only swimwear Cinque-nee could find that fit her was this grade school one-piece..." Sein began as her sister let out a sigh.

* * *

Being gate guard was one of the worst assignments most Konoha chunin had to endure as part of the job.

Alicia Testarossa wasn't most Konoha chunin.

She made her shift count by making liberal use of her Device's abilities, and to work on the finery of her chakra control. The last time she and her team underwent a diagnostic as part of the team-switching program, Alicia's results showed that she had enough chakra to go toe-to-toe for ten rounds with someone of Hoshigaki Kisame's caliber - and the worse thing was, Alicia's chakra coils still had room to grow.

Needless to say, her control regimen took to more extreme lengths - and through conversing with her Device and the dragon she had taken a habit of summoning, Alicia's control exercises revolved around advanced form and element manipulation.

Not only that, her dragon Teepo had also suggested extending the control regimen to her senses, allowing her to break off foreign genjutsu and increase her senses' acuity, all in one.

It paid off when she took in the sights and sounds of battle some distance from the gates, and when Alicia saw the Wide Area Search result, she wasted no time in sounding the alert and picking herself off from the guard house, then using Shunshin to move into the battleground, Barrier Jacket already online and Siegfried in Spellblade Mode.

As soon as Alicia could reach a range where she could easily make out faces, she gasped. _That face - it was in the briefing Hokage-sama had given us the week before - this man was to be our contact to Kirigakure!_

She clenched her free hand and moved faster - if the resistance died out entirely, who knew what Kiri would end up doing.

* * *

It couldn't end this way.

Not when he was so close to friendly territory.

An aqua-haired young man slowly pulled himself up from the forest floor, bleeding everywhere from superficial cuts, gasping from the fatigue of going beyond your limits one too many times - and let's not forget the chakra exhaustion.

He tried to continue on his path, but found that there were animal-masked ninja cutting him off...

...Kirigakure ANBU.

_Oh, come on, this isn't - this shouldn't be where my story ends! Especially not when the closest I've come to getting any is sneaking glances at Terumi-sama's wonderful pair of..._

The young man's - though by his thinking and appearance was closer to a boy - thoughts were cut off by something whizzing past his field of vision, and when he blinked, one of the Kiri ANBU was spinning in the air from a weapon's impact.

And that's when he laid eyes on the girl who could give his long-time crush a run for her money.

The heavenly vision turned around to reveal a Leaf headband tied around her neck - like a strange choker. "You all right?" she asked.

"Seen... better... days..." the boy rasped out.

"I've sent word, help is on the way," Alicia Testarossa answered as she swung around her Device and called on a trio of Kage Bunshin to keep the boy safe.

The Kiri ANBU made their move, aiming to take out the Kage Bunshin and the boy in one fell swoop, only to stop short as yellow circles materialized around their limbs, pinning them in place.

_**"Bind completed."**_

"Let's try THAT spell, Siegfried..." the real Alicia said, flexing her casting hand. "Nothing like a live-fire demonstration, eh?"

_**"Affirmative. Projectile trajectories have been calculated, optimum range has been set. Clearance confirmed: it's a go."**_

"Don't blink - here we go! Ragna Bolt: Omnilink Shift!"

_**"Ragna Bolt: Omnilink Shift."**_

The feeling of relief at reaching friendlies washed over the boy, and as the rush of adrenaline faded, exhaustion began to take over.

Still, before he completely blacked out, he was treated to a light show that he'd remember for some time - a flurry of lightning-laced chakra kunai flew out in all directions, piercing the Kiri ANBU in their soft spots: throat, groin, joints... and stopping them in their tracks.

And then the boy's eyes finally shut, unconsciousness claiming him...

* * *

"Damn... you really decided on taking that long-term assignment?" Tayuya asked the gray-eyed combat specialist and now Otogakure's secondary spymaster.

"I'm afraid so," Sieghart answered. He had just finished packing for the trip when the Sound Five had decided to take a break from training to bid him farewell. "Which means, there's no one around to beat the asses of the five of you into decent enough shape."

"Good riddance," Kidomaru muttered.

"What was that?"

"Oh, no, nothing, we're gonna miss you and your... unique sense of humor..." the six-armed ninja replied when he saw a flash of purple in Sieghart's eyes.

"That's better," Sieghart answered with a smile. "Before I go, there's one thing you guys need to know. While each of you excellently cover each others' shortcomings as ninja, and teamwork is all very well and good, work on your weaknesses so you'll have no glaring weak spots enemies can take advantage of."

"But we work best as a group..." Ukon began.

"...yes, as a group," Sakon finished.

"I know, I'm not telling you to abandon your team dynamic. Just be sure to prepare for any eventuality, such as being forced to fend for yourselves."

"A wise suggestion," Kimimaro finally admitted.

"But of course," Sieghart said. "I've been at this little game for much longer than all of you. I'll take six months on this tour and then break here for two weeks."

"Consider it your vacation," the immortal said as he waved his hand goodbye, walking away from the training area.

"...Some vacation," Jirobo ended up saying, which the rest of the Sound Five nodded their assent to.

"Well, at least we can work on our music in the meantime," Ukon said.

"Yes, we can go back to our group pastime," Sakon added.

* * *

"This just keeps getting better and better," the Fifth Hokage said after receiving a report from one of her secretaries. "Looks like our timetable got changed up a bit. Bring me Teams 8, 9 and 11."

It was within minutes that the three four-man ninja cells reported to the Hokage's office to hear the bad news.

"First off," Senju Tsunade began, "good work on those Kirigakure ANBU, Testarossa. They are now being processed over at T&I headquarters."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Alicia said, bowing at the congratulations being given to her.

"I've just gotten word that Shizune and her current apprentices have stabilized the resistance member, and will be fit to travel tomorrow - Team 9, after all, has a very capable medic-nin in the person of Momochi Haku."

"Hokage-sama, have the mission parameters themselves changed with this development?" Might Guy asked.

"Glad you asked. The message sent to me by the resistance leader says that they're at the end of their rope. The Kirigakure forces have cornered them to Wave Country, at the fortress they call the 'Nidaime's Refuge'. Wave's daimyo has even told me that the Kiri ANBU have been stepping over the jurisdiction of the Wave militia. Because of our close ties with Wave..."

"...this is now a must-win, because if the management in Kiri doesn't change hands soon, we could end up in another world-spanning conflict once again," Precia said.

"Exactly. Your mission now is to actively assist the resistance through whatever means possible in overthrowing the current Mizukage. This would probably end up as a high-A or low-S rank mission for the lot of you."

The more sedate genin gathered barely hid their apprehension, Naruto shrugged, and Alicia's eyes lit up.

"They rank missions the same way we rank mages, Cinque-nee?" Sein thought-whispered to her sister.

"We might have to break our cover just to survive," the eyepatch-wearing genin answered back.

"Prepare yourselves. This will probably be - barring the pursuit that wasn't - the most dangerous mission the twelve of you will end up in. Mission officially starts tomorrow at 0500 at the gates of Konoha. Dismissed."

"By your leave, Hokage-sama," the twelve ninja gathered said, and at their leader's nod, quietly exited the Hokage's office, leaving her to her thoughts.

* * *

"My first impression of the three of you?" the dark-haired man asked as he gazed appraisingly at the motley crew the Shodai Otokage assembled for him, "not too bad. Before we hit the road, let's dispense with the formalities first. Name, specialties, preferred team role. Go."

When all that answered him back was an uneasy silence, Sieghart the Highlander sighed. "Fine, I'll start. Name's Sieghart, specializing in all forms of combat. Team role? Anything that involves fighting or killing. My age is... nah, forget that. You'd either think I'm crazy if I told you, I like onsen, massage parlors - **NOT THAT KIND OF MASSAGE, BISHIE BOY!**" he shouted at one of them snickering at some accidental innuendo Sieghart may have said.

"Ahem. Anyway, I like onsen, massage, hammocks, and days off where I get to do **ABSOLUTELY NOTHING**. I dislike training and traveling, but since my ass has been bent way out of shape, gotta gut it and see my rehabilitation all the way through."

The three nodded appreciatively at this admission, and Sieghart smiled. _Great, now let's meet the team._ "Okay, bishie boy. You're up."

"Bishie boy...?" the silver-haired man asked, puzzled at the odd nickname. "Name's Hozuki Suigetsu. Kenjutsu specialist. I specialize in assassination."

"Cool," Sieghart replied. "You'd make a great recon guy. Next up, big fella."

"Jugo. Taijutsu and... other things. Heavy combat."

"Why do I get the feeling it's always the silent ones who end up being a handful? Anyway, you. Cute redhead with the glasses. Fire away."

"My name is Karin... medic and tracker-nin. I ended up here because Otokage-sama told me to keep an eye on you."

"All four of them?" Sieghart asked, making the girl flustered.

"You think this is some kind of joke, don't you?" she asked.

"No, and I'm guessing that those marks on your skin come from your medic specialty?" Sieghart asked back, his voice flat.

"Well," Karin replied, nodding. _Seems this guy looks like a goofball, but really means business._

"Now that we've well and properly introduced ourselves to each other - Jugo, if you please, keep that muttering to yourself - I'm going to get into the details of our little long-term assignment... on the long walk towards Kumo!"

"Come on, Team Sieghart! We've got miles to go, and it's a beautiful day!" he added, beginning to walk away from his team, who quickly followed their new leader.

Suigetsu was intrigued, Jugo was a bit happy, and Karin ended up a bit annoyed that their team leader could be so eccentric.

Still, that flash of purple chakra she sensed...

...maybe just like all the other research and missions she did, there was more to this... Sieghart - than what they could find at a glance.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Konoha...

"Successful Tora capture. Time since mission initiated, fifteen minutes, twenty seconds."

"And another of our records has been broken! Isn't that just awesome, guys?"

Just fresh out of that near miss with Otogakure, the strange incident involving the Uchiha clan meeting hall covered with strange writings and his spar with Mr. Uzumaki... Uchiha Sasuke was doing D-Rank missions.

...And he was doing them with his teammates, who were none too enthusiastic about the Uchiha scion including them in his punishment of several weeks worth of D-Rank missions.

"Was this something Hokage-sama calls a punishment?" Inuzuka Kiba finally asked him en route to their favorite hangout after yet another record-breaking Tora retreival.

"Yes, yes it was. You heard of that time Uzumaki and I tore up a training ground 'sparring', right?" Sasuke asked, doing finger quotes at the word 'sparring'.

"And we get punished with doing this for three weeks more, while you're the one trying to see how many of these glorified chores we can do in a day?" asked Haruno Sakura.

"That's right."

"Okay, MISTER Uchiha," Kiba said. "But for the love of Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi and Susanoo, WHY?"

"I traded favors with the Hokage."

"I'd trade favors with Hokage-sama if you know what I-" Kiba jibed, but a kick to the shin courtesy of one irate pink-haired kunoichi shut him up.

"Nothing like that, Kiba. Stop licking your metaphorical balls," Sasuke explained. "I asked for more D-ranks in exchange for all four of us to get the next available long-term mission to Yuki."

"The Land of Snow? Why?"

"Hostile environment, civil war, snow... best place to train fire jutsu and other things. You know... training trip?"

The eyes of Sasuke's two teammates lit up at that. With his declaration that they would either make it to chunin as a team or not, they had their work cut out for them if they wanted to fulfill that goal.

Besides, with what they had already been through as a team, teamwork wasn't an issue.

What remained an issue was...

"...Sorry I'm late," Hatake Kakashi declared as he walked towards Team 7's usual meeting ground. "Got lost on the road of life."

All six eyes of the three genin did the obligatory roll at their sensei's unbelievably flat excuse - everyone knew he spent his time meditating near the Memorial Stone.

"Speak of the devil," Kiba muttered.

"Got our second D-Rank done today, and it isn't even noon yet," Sasuke answered.

"Second?"

"Teams 8, 9, and 11 got called on a long-term mission. One, two months or so," Kakashi explained. "So that's why you've been taking on more D-ranks these days, aside from that little spar YOU had with Naruto."

Sasuke shrugged. "What's done is done. Speaking of training, Sensei... how does spending a few months at Yuki no Kuni in camp grab you?"

"Yuki no Kuni?" Kakashi asked, visible eye going wide. "Not the best place for camp, but great for training, why?"

"About to finish squaring it with Hokage-sama. 50 D-Ranks before three weeks into my punishment, and Team 7 gets first shot at any long-term mission to Yuki no Kuni."

"This has something to do with your discoveries, correct?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes, and the adverse conditions will help Kiba and Sakura out in training greatly... though there's always the risk of having your bestest best friend freeze off, and I'm not talking about Akamaru, Kiba..." Sasuke answered, grinning.

"I'm suddenly having second thoughts about this whole thing," Kiba said, a bit frightened as his dog whined.

"Relax, Kiba," Sasuke continued, not missing a beat. "You can have Sakura warm you if you spend too much time out on the snow. Full-body skin-to-skin contact."

Kiba was rendered a nosebleeding catatonic, Sakura's whole head turned as red as the fruit she was named after, and Kakashi-sensei laughed nervously at the Uchiha firing his verbal zingers with the same accuracy as he did his shuriken.

After the moment had left, Team 7 shared a good laugh as they went back to the Hokage Tower for yet another D-Rank mission...

* * *

The arrival of the 12-man cell in Wave Country was rather uneventful, except for an uneasy moment between Precia, Alicia, Naruto and Haku.

The four of them took some time off to visit where the hero of Wave Country lay buried, the sword that had gained him his previous bloody title a silent sentinel to the sacrifice he made.

_Zabuza-sama, _Haku prayed. _Please watch over me from heaven._

_Zabuza, _Precia thought. _Your ward is doing excellently. He's shaping up to be worthy of your legacy._

Naruto and Alicia offered their prayers for the soul of the Bloody Mist.

Upon their return, no one bothered to ask where and why they took a detour, and the four of them did not venture any statement or answer.

That was because mere moments before their arrival at the designated meeting place, the clearing just beyond the grave of Momochi Zabuza, Guardian Demon of Wave Country was enveloped in a firestorm caused by several extra-large ANBU-issue exploding tags going off.

"Told you they're in it for keeps," the boy said as the team took to the trees in their rush towards the resistance headquarters, his injured form being carried by two of Uzumaki Naruto's Kage Bunshin.

"Never believed they'd actually go ahead and do that," Tenten mused as the lot of them took chakra-enhanced strides through the branches.

"Excellent suggestion to divert them off our trail, Naruto," Cinque said. "Are our ANBU like these?"

"No," Naruto answered. "The ones here are more... bloodthirsty."

**_Judging by their scent, it would seem that this is because of prolonged exposure to the Three-Tails' chakra... I can detect none of the Sanbi's previous nature. Just what the hell happened while I was cooped up here, anyhow?_**

_We'll be finding that one out soon, now won't we?_

Naruto chuckled humorlessly, but slightly paled upon hearing the voices of the entities within his mind - whereas before, he thought their weakening was because of some sort of interference, but now he was sure that their voices really were growing fainter and fainter.

As to why this had happened, he had no clue whatsoever, and he promised himself to pay the Kyuubi and Lass a visit in the meadow upon the team's arrival at the resistance base.

* * *

"Ah, yes, I've picked a specific four-man cell for your assignment, Hime-sama," the Fifth Hokage began. "And they are indeed very capable for a team of genin... their jonin-sensei would happen to be Hatake Kakashi."

"The famous Copy-Nin? True, that does help, but my well-being cannot be protected by one famous jonin and his reputation alone."

"Be that as it may, all three of his genin have two specialties, have extensive combat experience, and a remarkable mission record."

"...Interesting. 'Elective studies under Senju Tsunade - medic-nin techniques; attended several seminars on the applications of basic and advanced genjutsu under Yuuhi Kurenai'... What's this? This little waif of a kunoichi **knows the CHIDORI?**"

Tsunade merely smirked as she directed a glance to the door, one of her secretaries opening it as Team 7 strode into the Hokage's office upon receiving notice that they were selected for a long-term B-rank mission to Yuki no Kuni.

As usual, it was the Inuzuka who reacted first. "WHOA!" he shouted, causing the dog tucked inside his jacket to bark at the young lady seated across the Hokage's office desk. "Are my eyes deceiving me, or is that Princess Fuin in the flesh?"

Sasuke's eyes briefly went wide at who their client was; after all, one of their D-rank missions the day before yesterday was serving as ushers during the premiere of "The Adventures of Princess Fuin".

Sakura was starstruck to the point that her sensei had to give her a nudge to bring her wandering thoughts back to Konoha.

"Excellent timing, Team 7. Here's your B-rank: Yukikaze Fujie requires an escort into Yuki no Kuni, the location where the sequel to 'The Adventures of Princess Fuin' will be filmed. Her production crew have found out that there may be several... problems which require the expert attention that only a ninja can provide... I'm sure you know what this means."

Again, true to form, Kiba was only nodding along to the Hokage's mission briefing while his eyes were fixated on one, no, two other things. Everyone else on Team 7 gave him a nudge to get him to focus on the seal on Hokage-sama's forehead instead of somewhere else; they didn't want to be a three-and-a-half-man genin squad for this mission.

"Kiba, shift your gaze higher. You do realize that that's a genjutsu and you're having inappropriate thoughts about someone three times your age?" Sasuke whispered, causing his teammate's eyes to immediately shift towards the ceiling.

Thankfully, Tsunade-sama only pretended not to notice. Had this been a lesser priority, she would have given the Inuzuka a flick to the forehead for staring - but with such an important mission, she decided to save that talk for when they returned.

"...as before, the safety and well-being of the client is of the utmost priority. I'm sure that this mission will go well; you have the most cohesive genin squad watching over you, Fujikaze-hime."

_Somehow I doubt that, _the actress thought as she smiled - dazzling, but ultimately conveying no happiness whatsoever. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"You're welcome," the Fifth replied. _Sheesh, she's one cold customer._ "How soon will your departure be?"

"At nine a.m. tomorrow, would that be all right?"

"That's fine," Sasuke said as EVERYONE in the room sans the client stared daggers at the Copy-Nin that promised a fate worse than death if he ended up late the next day for even one second.

After both Team 7 and Fujikaze-hime left the office, Tsunade began laughing as she read the mission briefing and the copy of the scroll Sasuke wrote down based on the writing on the Uchiha Clan.

"Shizune, when will the next Chunin exams roll around?" she asked.

"Tsunade-sama, within eight months. Kirigakure skipped this year due to the ongoing civil war and resistance movements within their territory. Exam will be held in Suna."

"Glad to hear that," the Hokage replied as she resumed her reading. _I'm confident the three of you nail it in one shot, _she thought._ I'm sure you're going further places than before._

* * *

The Konoha contingent, at their current pace, had about two hours before arriving at the resistance base.

Unfortunately, there was the crump of an explosion in the distance, forcing the team to move even faster.

"Screw this," Precia Testarossa said as she motioned her team into a forward position. "We've gone through team combat drills. Make your training count - Alicia, Cinque, Sein."

"Yes, sensei!" echoed the three kunoichi as they split off into the standard two-by-two formation towards the battle, Teams 8 and 11 following suit.

One Uzumaki Naruto was taking the rear, muttering "Reynard, activate" repeatedly, with nothing happening. Momentarily panicking at the thought of being unable to use his Device, he brushed it off with more than a little difficulty, whipped out two kunai from his pouch, and kept up the pace with his teammates, as Team 8's combat role was to see their contact to the base safe and sound.

"They're attacking..." the young man they were escorting whispered as a trio of Alicia Testarossa's Kage Bunshin - along with Team 8 - were holding up the rear guard. "Oh no, the Chief may be in danger!" he exclaimed.

"Precia-sensei and the others will be able to handle it," Naruto said. "We're going to be taking care of any lookouts or stragglers while looking after you, Chojuro-san."

"Thanks, Naruto-kun, but even if I'm not at a hundred percent, I can still help out."

"Please leave everything to us, Chojuro-kun," Hinata replied.

"Yes, as you have not been completely healed of your injuries," Shino added.

"Fine then, I'll hang back," he said.

"That's the spirit!" the three clones of Alicia said, making the resistance-nin pop out into a smile.

Meanwhile, Naruto took the moment to re-enter his mindscape to find nothing but a grassy meadow and an overcast sky.

No Lass, and the Kyuubi was likewise nowhere to be seen.

_What was going on? _he asked as he returned to the outside world, kunai at the ready and in a stance to call on his contingency tactics in case a situation like this came about.

* * *

"Lee. Remember. Don't let the world say that what you want to achieve is impossible. It is only impossible when we ourselves believe it."

"Do not lose hope on your youthful dream."

_But Guy-sensei... how will that happen? What now, when all I have to show for my ninja career is this metallic contraption strapped to what used to be my right arm?_

As Rock Lee forlornly walked through the Village Hidden in the Leaves, he couldn't help but wallow in self-pity - the very thing his beloved Sensei warned him against.

How could he not, as his ninja career was all but over, even with the prosthesis on?

What had lowered his self-confidence even further was that it hurt.

Hokage-sama herself had said that the periodic pain from the prosthesis was psychological, and he could train himself to withstand "phantom limb".

But fresh from hearing the bad news that his ninja career was done with, he could not help but lash out: "Train? When all my dreams are gone, I should still train? I apologize, Hokage-sama, but... it's just not worth it anymore."

Instead of reacting as she usually did, Senju Tsunade merely patted the boy on the top of his head. "I'm really sorry, there really is nothing my limited knowledge can do about your case."

"I know. You tried your best."

And for perhaps the last time in his life, Rock Lee flashed the blinding smile that his former sensei was known for.

However, smiling was the last thing on his mind, as he ended up stumbling into an incident...

"...let me go, damn it!" shouted the young woman, who was being accosted by three bandits. "No, you're not going to have it!"

"Hey! You heard the lady!" Lee shouted at the group. "When a youthful young lady says 'no', she means it!"

"Oh look, someone to save you?" one thug laughed. "It's pathetic. Your savior looks like he's the one who needs help."

"Yeah, what can you do with one arm like that?" the other thug chuckled.

"I can do THIS!" Lee cried out as he dashed in and sent the third thug flying with a kick.

Moving in concordance with his muscle memory, Rock Lee went into his trademark attack, sending out a flurry of kicks and left-handed punches, subduing the three thugs.

And then... everything went to hell.

Mere moments passed before Rock Lee's charge was spent, and he was flying through the air, his right shoulder bloody where the prosthesis was forcibly ripped off, and he asked himself if he was prepared to die.

He hit the ground oddly and finally blacked out.

* * *

"Something's happening to the seal!"

A fox with nine tails was cutting a swath through a grassy meadow. The fox looked up, and the mystic symbols of a magic circle consumed the skies above.

Worse, the symbols seemed to be pulsating, as if they were the harbinger of a world-shattering upheaval.

"What's that? I can't hear you!"

"I said, there's something going on with the seal!" the fox bellowed.

"I know! I'm being forced to return to within the Device!" Lass yelled back.

**"LASS! YOU'RE FADING AWAY!" **the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox cried out.

**"FOX! I CAN'T HEAR YOU! THE CONNECTION... IT'S TERMINATING!" **Lass replied before he faded from consciousness, the fox vanishing from sight the last thing he saw.

Lass opened his eyes with a start, thinking he had another nightmare, only to realize that he was once again within the confines of the Device Reynard. While he was, indeed, the spirit of the Device, the concept of incorporating a spirit to guide and enhace a Device's performance was merely an optional feature for Armed Devices made by the developers back during the time of Ancient Velka.

This meant that he did not have full access to the Device's functions. It also meant that for all intents and purposes, he was trapped.

"Device Spirit requiring access to function CVK-663."

"Access Denied."

Lass was surprised, but quickly tried another tack. "Accessing function CVK-774."

"Denied."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Lass asked, frustrated.

"System reformat. System reformat. All working data must be backed up. Device Spirit has been restricted to Archive Mode until System has reactivated."

"SYSTEM REFORMAT? What in the name of Gaikoz' Sword is... happening?" Lass said, his voice shaking as he saw the Velkan Magic circle appear and disperse.

Familiar symbols flew before his eyes, and he gasped at what these implied.

"Archive Mode, Device Spirit requesting data readout on CVK-442b," he muttered in a shaking voice, the symbols finally making sense.

"Read-only Mode available."

"That's not a problem."

Minutes later, the shout of "IT CAN'T BE!" echoed throughout the Device's Archives.

* * *

Somewhere else, a purple-haired man in a lab coat received another data transmission.

"Excuse me, Doctor. How will analyzing those strange glyphs help us in our mission?" asked his secretary.

"Elementary, my dear Uno," the doctor replied. "This is merely a little thing I've taken on the side to... wait. These symbols are familiar... Uno, fetch the data disc on Ancient Velkan history for me."

Upon loading the disc, the Doctor scrolled through pages until he found what he was looking for.

"Mother of the Sankt-Kaiser... this is impossible," he whispered in awe.

"What's impossible, Dr. Jail?" Uno asked.

"We're having a change of plans. Recall Cinque and Sein at the soonest possible time," Dr. Jail Scaglietti replied, his yellow eyes beginning to twinkle at the possibilities. "Let's sit on this egg and wait for it to hatch, blowing up in the faces of our beloved Time-Space Administration Bureau... hahahahahaha!"

The maniacal laughter that echoed throughout the research facility continued for hours afterward, scaring employees and passerby alike.

* * *

_"Well, long tall Sally, she's built for speed / She got everything that Uncle John need / Oh baby~ / yeah~ baby~ / Ooh, baby~ having me some fun tonight..."_

The first hour had been great, but for Karin, if this was the way their team leader carried on, she would probably snap.

Not only was this Sieghart person strolling along the forest trails like some kid going on a hiking adventure, he was also breaking out in song (and dance!) every now and then.

And now, something worse had happened - her two companions were now backing the strange spymaster up in his singing.

"This isn't some field trip," Karin muttered.

"Hey, relax," Sieghart said, sauntering over to her. "It's not like we get into life-threatening situations all the time. This isn't a world war yet, you know."

"Answer me this: how is it that you can afford to be so casual about everything that's going on?"

Sieghart shrugged. "Because I can. And because in a few days, we'll probably be carving a trail of blood from the border all the way to Kumogakure."

"KUMOGAKURE?" Karin cried out. "That place has TWO freaking jinchuriki, both who - according to our edition of the Bingo Book - have full control over their Tailed Beasts! Are we walking into a freaking death trap or something?"

"As I said before, chill the heck out," Sieghart said. "By the time we get there, I'll be good enough to wield my Sleaghgrim, which will be more than enough to hold them off while the three of you make good your escape. Besides, there's diplomacy; we can always make use of diplomacy."

"I'm not even sure you're diplomatic," Karin muttered again.

"You'll see just how diplomatic I can end up being," Sieghart answered, winking as he changed his pace to check up on Jugo and Suigetsu.

"What are all those bottles for?" Sieghart asked upon seeing all the bottles in Suigetsu's chunin vest.

"Bloodline limit quirk," the shark-toothed ninja answered.

"All right. So, Jugo, still hanging in there?"

"Yes."

"I should use a level 2 or 3 mastery circle. Or a Storage Device. Something that will help you maintain control when using that seal of yours."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet, we need to reach a lab, base, or waypoint before I can perform that procedure," Sieghart said.

"Okay, who wants to sing next?"

Karin just sighed as Jugo and Suigetsu started arguing over what to sing on the way.

* * *

Judging by the sounds of battle in the rear, it seemed like a trap.

But nobody bothered to figure out how to outsmart the Kirigakure ANBU.

One thing was certain.

To stop the attack in its tracks, all hostiles had to be neutralized.

Leading the fray, Precia Testarossa and her daughter brought several Raiton variants of the Kage Bunshin into play, charging at the Kirigakure ANBU in hand-to-hand combat and leaving behind a shocking surprise should they be dispelled.

There were ANBU bowmen in the trees just beyond visual range of your standard ninja, but they too fell to precision arrow shots from the Armed Device Nova, aided by the Byakugan of Tenten's spotter, Hyuuga Neji.

Cinque and Sein went for the flank, activating their Inherent Skills and generally taking the Kiri ANBU by surprise, as genin shouldn't be this skilled and/or merciless. The eyepatch-clad Number was especially bloodthirsty after she heard one of the ANBU call for reinforcements "against the wall-melter and the one-eyed flat-chested kid".

Momochi Haku took the rear, spreading his ice mirrors out to scout for anything unexpected, while his jonin-sensei kept the ANBU off him by being a magnificent distraction - Might Guy knocked out several ANBU with one shot, picked up a flail one of the fallen resistance members used, and wailed on the ANBU chasing him.

The two teams ran like a well-oiled machine in the assault, but Precia and Alicia both worried for Kurenai's team a few clicks back. Alicia detected several hostile presences, but she was sure that Naruto's abilities would carry the day if worst came to worst.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke was the only one left standing.

His teammates' status were questionable, as they were tasked to see to the safety of the production staff, if it was not just an attack on "Princess Fuin".

Kakashi had gone above and beyond what he was used to - the Raikiri had taken out half of their assailants, but it came at too high a price, and he had fallen to one knee, able to move only one arm, whose hand was holding the last kunai in a death grip.

"Sensei... gonna try something. Both of you, please close your eyes."

As the two people behind him followed his request, Sasuke gritted his teeth and visualized what he wanted to do.

The Yuki-nin laughed as they went into their final approach, kunai, ninjato and kusarigama at the ready. One genin should be a walk in the park. After all, there were five of them and only one of him, right?

Sasuke ignored their glares and concentrated on gathering his willpower.

After all, the scroll said that **it** would only be allowed to be used... with enough willpower. If he faltered, for even one moment, the flames would consume him.

His hands started flowing into the prescribed seals.

"These chakra armor suits are ninjutsu-proof! Those tricks of yours won't work on us!" one of them, presumably the leader, gloated.

"The Copy-nin may have overpowered our suits, but after doing that, he's out of the fight, and soon, you will be, too! And then, the princess..."

_Princess? _Sasuke thought. _No time for that, though. Come on, last few seals. And then..._

He finished, three-tomoe-per-Sharingan-eye spinning and began the invocation.

The hairs on the backs of the necks of the Yuki-nin began to stand on end, but they ignored this feeling of impending danger.

After all, these Uchiha were only good for Fire techniques, and these suits were built to withstand even a high-powered Ryuka no Jutsu, right?

The attackers' eyes widened as they saw the Uchiha's eyes change... from three black commas spinning in a red field to three red blades spinning in a black field.

"Enton..." Sasuke began as the normal blue aura of chakra flaring was now changing into an angry purple.

**"KOKURYUUKA NO JUTSU!"**

A ball of black flame appeared in front of Sasuke's hands, causing the enemy to stop and gawk for that critical moment.

And then, a black dragon burst from the ball of flame, scorching and burning everything in its path: the remnants of the hotel room they had rented, various objects caught in the dragon's rage, and the five Yukigakure ninja?

Once the technique had dispersed after a few moments of rampaging, there was nothing more than five shadows burned into the stone walls of the border town in Yuki no Kuni... and smoke wafting from the debris Sasuke's technique left behind.

"Fujikaze-hime..." Sasuke said, turning towards the client, "...it's safe. You can open your eyes now."

He looked around and saw that his team had once again survived.

"The enemy-nin?" Fujikaze Yukie asked.

"Gone."

"The staff?"

"My teammates Kiba and Sakura fought off several other Yuki-nin to cover their escape. Sensei," Sasuke said, moving his attention to Team 7's jonin-sensei.

"What was that?" Kakashi asked, his hand covering the transplanted Sharingan eye. "Clan technique?"

"One of the reasons I asked for this assignment, Sensei," was all Sasuke said before they picked themselves up and went to looking for their teammates.

"Kiba, Sakura?" Sasuke asked after he spotted the two of them standing guard over a nondescript house.

"Took us a long while to deal with those guys, but we got the staff to evacuate in time."

"Good," Sasuke said as his eyes flashed red briefly. "That's good. Sensei?"

Kakashi turned to their client. "I think you have some explaining to do, Fujikaze-hime."

* * *

"Come on, why are you failing on me now?" Naruto begged the daggers he was holding.

It turned out that the attack on the Nidaime's Refuge was a feint, as there were more than fifty Kirigakure ANBU involved in the attack. By Naruto's count, there were thirty-five who went towards the Refuge, while the others would pick off anyone who'd try and mount a rescue.

Team 8 had taken out their fair share of attackers intent on silencing all of them, Chojuro especially... but they were fading, and were fading fast.

Shino was the first to go: leeching off several ANBU's chakra had turned his kikai bugs lethargic. All it took was a foursome of Kiri ANBU doing handseals in tandem (Naruto noted this for future use with his Kage Bunshin) to unleash a Suiryudan that knocked him out of the contest.

Hinata took longer - debuting her Shugohakke Rokujyuonsho, Kurenai-sensei subtly got a few of the ANBU to shred themselves on Hinata's attack by manipulating their depth perception. Hinata managed to exhaust the chakra reserves of several other opponents by negating the worst of their ninjutsu, but in the end her shield took several Suiryudan and was blown away.

Now, all that stood between Chojuro was their jonin-sensei, and while Naruto did his share in taking out one ANBU after another, now was the time for him to showcase his Device's area-of-effect attacks.

He had been blasted a good distance at the start of the fight with a Suiryudan, but by sheer force of will began his way back towards his team.

The first two ANBU who tried to use Mizu Bunshin for eluding him failed miserably, as he merely spun around twice, cast a Fuuton: Daitoppa to disorient the clones and originals and ready a rather high-powered Rasengan. Before the two could react, Naruto was in their faces already, a swirl of leaves marking the spot where he was before.

"RASENGAN!" the boy bellowed before thrusting his palm forward, tearing one ANBU's torso apart, and still he kept going until he heard the crunch of his technique's impact on the second ANBU, who had been shoved towards the first one by the shockwave of the Mizu Bunshin and Daitoppa dispelling at the same time.

He sighted several other ANBU in the line of fire if he wanted to use the shooting variant of the Rasengan, but as he willed the ball of swirling chakra to grow, it merely fizzled out.

Damn! Of all times, why now?

He tried putting up his hands in a cross seal to use Kage Bunshin as a diversionary tactic, but as his clones poofed into existence, the remaining Kiri ANBU knew what he was planning and withdrew to the branches, shooting down his clones with volleys of Teppodama in their retreat.

Now Naruto wanted to use Taiju Kage Bunshin, but for some strange reason, he saw his hands involuntarily shaking - a sign of chakra exhaustion (he saw a lot of this back at the Academy).

_Chakra exhaustion?_

**_CHAKRA EXHAUSTION?_**

He formed the seal, bellowed out the technique name, but nothing happened.

Just like several times before in his ninja career, Uzumaki Naruto was at his wit's end.

"Device mode!" he cried out, going for the last tool in his arsenal that gave him a fighting chance to return to his team and/or take out these ANBU from Kirigakure.

_**"Access Denied," **_a voice that was so unlike Lass emanated from the ornate dagger.

"Please... I need your power now, Reynard. I can't tap into the Kyuubi's chakra, I'm out of juice right now... come on..."

_**"Access Denied."**_

"Come on..." Naruto dodged another hail of Teppodama.

_**"Access..."**_

"Come on..." A Suiryudan barely grazed him as he rolled into the bushes and ran up the trunk of a nearby tree.

_**"...denied."**_

**"For fuck's sake, get your ass in gear and let me protect my team, you useless piece of shit!"** Naruto finally yelled out, letting his temper take control of him.

_**"ACCESS GRANTED. CONTROL OVERRIDDEN. REYNARD - CHASER MODE," **_responded the dagger, bathing Naruto with a light-blue glow as the Ancient Velkan magiccircle activated._**  
**_

He was now holding two of the daggers, and the weapons were beginning to glow with a pale blue light.

_Time to take the fight to them._

"What the-" one of the Kiri ANBU tried to say at the sudden aggression of the opponent they thought was chakra-exhausted, and was sliced cleanly in two by a wave of energy that spread when Naruto swung one of his daggers at him in a slashing arc.

Slowly, the other ANBU backed off from the blonde chunin.

"...So much for your plans. Round two, bitches," Naruto replied through gritted teeth before he tore into his opponents, all the while closing the gap between him and his team.

Meanwhile, just as the final layer of genjutsu was breached, and the Kirigakure ANBU were about to close in on Yuuhi Kurenai and their team, a digitized voice echoed out some distance away.

_**"FINAL STRIKE CHASER."**_

Waves upon waves of blue energy crashed upon the approaching ANBU, blasting and shredding them apart just like a berserker's bloodthirsty buzzsaw.

The last of the enemy tried to make good his escape, but Uzumaki Naruto simply swung his arm in his direction, the wave of energy flashing towards and decapitating its target.

"Sensei... are you all right?" he finally asked, approaching the trio and their client shortly after his Device had gone offline.

"We're okay. Those ANBU may have ingested some anti-kikai chemicals to subdue Shino - he's out, but no large injuries. Hinata... she's exhausted. The client is fine."

"Thank goodness," was all Naruto ended up saying before he took a step forward, started swaying on his feet, and fell down to the ground, unconscious.

"Naruto! Are you all right? Answer me! Naruto! **NARUTO**!"

* * *

Chapter 30 - **END**.

**a/n:** Naruto's just about had it with his seal. Next chapter, he's gonna uncover what it REALLY does. (Again, this is based on recent canon events - with my own interpretations. If you're exceptionally good at following the story, you can pretty much guess what happens next time.)

Also, the timeline is intentionally skewed (i.e. the events involving Teams 8, 9 and 11, Team 7, and Rock Lee do not happen concurrently all the time). Why? Because it's a figurative way of showing how Naruto and his contemporaries grow as ninja and as people.

Minor rant: Genetics in the Narutoverse is rather wonky. Was it ever explained that blond hair is dominant and red hair is recessive? (Because, if the opposite is true, Naruto should have orange-red hair.)

One more thing: While the Kyuubi singing "Long Tall Sally" would have been an excellent idea, it's much better when someone like Sieghart actually knows the words to the song.

Also, MGS! :3

Chapter 31 will reveal many of the truths and theories within the crossover, and much, much awesomeness will ensue.

Chapter 32 will be a data sheet, containing information about the characters that may foreshadow future events.


	31. Breakthrough

_short disclaimer:_ Once more, with feeling, none of this is mine.

_long disclaimer:_ Naruto = Kishimoto Masashi; Nanoha = Seven Arcs; Grand Chase = KoG; Breath of Fire III = Capcom; God Hand = Capcom and Clover Studios; Pulp Fiction = Quentin Tarantino; Flame of Recca = Anzai Nobuyuki; Commando = Silver Pictures and 20th Century Fox; Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann = Studio Gainax; Wacky Races = Hanna-Barbera; Touhou Project = ZUN; Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier = Banpresto, Monolith Soft and Atlus; and Pimp My Ride = MTV. None of the content referred to within this fic from the works mentioned before are meant to be passed off as my own. no copyright infringement is intended. this is a non-profit work, done for LOVE OF THE GAME!

[ahnold] **REMEMBER WHEN I SAID THIS WOULD BE THE LAST CHAPTER? _I LIED._** [/ahnold]

*several screams are heard*

Ehem. Anyway, Chapter 32 isn't an actual conclusion but a bit of background information you might want to read on, among them Bingo Book entries, Device readouts, the OST of this story, and a final pre-Part 2 stinger!

Watch for it. I'm also in the process of adding scenes to earlier chapters, so please do check back in every now and then.

Again, a poll is in my profile. Feel free to cast your votes there.

A forum exists, too, check my profile out.

All right, everyone! All together...

Here's the final chapter of Part 1!

* * *

_Everything felt like it happened a lifetime ago. What I wanted was acknowledgment. What I received was a family._

_Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. The value of memories... the power of family... for the sake of everything I hold dear, I cannot - no, will not give up._

_The final chapter to Naruto: Arcane Heart will now begin._

* * *

_**Naruto: Arcane Heart**_

**Chapter 31: Breakthrough**

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto opened his eyes.

He was once again in the meadow.

And he wasn't alone.

A man was seated in a meditative pose on the grass, clutching what looked like a priest or monk's staff of metal rings.

That wasn't the odd thing.

While it was dark in the meadow, the moon was full and shining brightly. But the only thing Naruto could make out of this strange man was the strange red necklace around him, as he seemed to be cloaked in shadow.

But what shadow could obscure anything but the strange necklace?

"You've finally made it," the man said as he opened his eyes to reveal that his irises were concentric rings of black and silver.

"Who... who are you?" Naruto asked, hesitating a bit as he felt the hairs on the back of his head tingle.

"You haven't been reading your fairy tales, I see..." the man replied, chuckling. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am, or should I say was, the Sage of Six Paths."

Naruto's eyes just bugged out at the revelation. "But the Rikudo Sennin was just a fairy tale we learned from school!"

The Sage laughed. "History becomes myth. Myth becomes legend. All legends have some degree of truth to them. But... the time of legends is over. Do you know why you are here?"

"Uh," Naruto replied. "I guess I forced my Device to work, I saved the day, and ended up here."

"Not exactly. It is through the hard work, sacrifices, and the payment of much blood and many lives that you are here now."

"What do you mean by that?" Naruto asked.

"Explaining it to you will only confuse you further. Let me show you, instead."

His silver eyes pulsed, and all of a sudden, Naruto felt like he was floating, displaced.

When his eyes opened, he was in a different meadow, with the Sage in front of him.

"Uh... Honorable Sage?" Naruto asked as he pulled himself up.

"He won't answer you," the disembodied voice of the Sage replied. "This is one of my last memories, the memory I have sealed, the memory you now shall witness."

"Why?"

"Quiet. Here they come."

Naruto obliged with silence, and as he turned to the Sage in front of him, people started walking out of the forest.

They all had animal features on them: one walked with a feline grace, carrying herself with confidence despite the cat ears on her head twitching every now and then.

There were two young men that followed. The larger one of them strode along with bravado, wearing a strange pair of spectacles, a large and worn cape, coarse pants tied with a linen sash, and geta on his feet. He wore no shirt, revealing his heavily-tattooed chest and cloth bindings around his abdominal area. The smaller one wore a brown jacket, short pants and shoes... and seemed to hang onto the larger one like a frightened child.

Naruto nearly cried out with surprise when he saw the larger one sport silver-blue fox ears while the smaller one had the light brown ears of a tanuki.

The rest of them stepped into the clearing as Naruto continued: a man hunched over due to the turtle shell he carried on his back; a boy with a tail swinging around the branches, a horned woman with a fish tail, another man carrying a snail shell, a young girl in a sundress, the insect antennae twitching here and there, and finally, a massive half-bull half-man [note 1] rounded up the assembly.

"...I had asked for at least twenty. Just nine?" the voice Naruto knew as the Sage said.

"We were originally eight," the half-bull said. "Don't know what kitsune magic you used to get that little squirt to go with you, though."

"I-I-I-I-I chose to come here!" the boy said, hesitating a bit. "Aniki told me everything. It may scare me, but if it's the right thing to do, I'll do it!"

"Yeah, yeah, that's what the other ones said!" the girl added. "I'm doing this as a sign of good will from our side of the world to yours, Mister Sage!"

"As did I," the cat lady added.

"...and for that I thank you and your kind, Writhe-chan," the Sage answered. "Still, since your numbers are fewer, this may not work out as planned."

"Do it," the man with fox ears said. "I didn't do my share in putting that bastard down, so I'll throw in my best shot to make up for it."

"Your intentions are pure," the Sage said, "but the boy may not withstand the power I shall be giving him. For that matter, I have already resolved the dispute as to how many tails you shall all take on..."

"I'll take nine," the man with fox ears and the half-cow said in unison, and glared at each other after hearing themselves speak.

"That won't do," the Sage said. "I was planning on sealing it up from one to twenty or perhaps fifteen, but just nine..."

"You have to make do with what you have, sir - it holds true for sages, lowly humans and even youkai, does it not?" the snail man said, with the man carrying the turtle shell nodding his approval.

"Still..." the Sage said before coughing. "Nevertheless, I have already made up my mind."

He beckoned to the boy with the tanuki ears. "There will be no turning back from this, child. Are you ready?"

"Aniki will watch over me," the boy said, resolute. "I can do it."

The Sage of Six Paths placed his hand over the boy's head, and the boy screamed as chakra, cursed chakra began flowing into him.

"What are you doing?" the fox-man said.

"Aniki!" the boy yelled out through the pain, "I'm gonna do it! Because you told me I can! Have faith in me!"

Slowly but surely the boy began to metamorphose - from a boy with tanuki ears and tail he grew in size, his fur transforming to sand.

And then the Sage had finished, and the boy's screams had stopped.

With another flash of light, Uzumaki Naruto was back in the moonlit meadow, digesting what he just saw, and remembering what had been said to him.

_"Don't say you were unprepared for this responsibility, and don't say I have it easier than you do. These tails are a reminder of **my own sacrifice**."_

_So Kyuubi wasn't lying?_

_Maybe he did, maybe that one time._

_Still..._

_I still don't understand most of this. Each discovery I make means more questions._

When he looked around the meadow, the Sage was still there.

"So what you were going to show me was that the Tailed Beasts are youkai spirits infused with chakra?" Naruto began as he approached the Sage.

"That's not the first question you should be asking, but I'll answer it for you: yes, that was what I wanted to show you AND someone else."

"What should I be asking?"

"How about something like 'why is the Sage of Six Paths in my mind right now'?" the Sage volunteered. "I'll give you the straightest answer yet (because we really don't have much time) - fuinjutsu runs not only off chakra but also life force. One of the side effects of higher-level seals is that a simulacrum of the seal maker is created within the seal itself, subtly influencing the target of the seal."

"So YOU'RE a simulacrum too?" Naruto asked, to which the Sage nodded. "All right. So all nine of the Tailed Beasts around now... but the power needed to make a Tailed Beast... it would be unfathomable, so where would someone like you get that much - wait, don't go!"

"I am sorry," the Sage said as he began to fade away. "I used up nearly all of my power to show you that memory. The seal is nearly complete, anyhow."

"Seal? What seal?"

"Everything... begins... in Uzugakure..." the Sage said as he vanished.

"Uzugakure? What's that? Hello? Hello!"

Uzumaki Naruto was, once again, alone in the night meadow... and the daybreak was nowhere in sight.

* * *

_"Gonna take the easy way out, eh?" Inuzuka Kiba said, his bloody hand all that was between their client's belly and a knife. "If it counts, shouldn't we be the ones to consider this, not you?"_

_"I have been disgraced. This end will restore honor to me."_

_**"It honors NOTHING!"** Kiba snarled, yanking the knife away while Akamaru whined at his master's injury. "You think leaving us here with that ceremonial crap while all the other disgraced samurai out there is honorable?"_

_"It is the only way."_

_"Screw that only way, then!" Kiba yelled. "Would our deaths restore our honor?"_

_"...I don't want to die here," Haruno Sakura said quietly._

_"Neither do I," Hatake Kakashi muttered, turning to another page of his orange book._

_"I've got things to do and people to kill, so no," Uchiha Sasuke remarked blandly._

_The C-Rank (ha!) was just going to be defending a nearby village against some bandits and maybe one or two renegade samurai._

_The information turned out to be bogus, and the village was actually a key location to two rival bands of ronin._

_Even Kakashi-sensei didn't know why they were there, but it seemed the mission still remained: find any innocents and/or civilians and keep them out of the action._

_Sadly, it looked to both bands that Team 7 wanted to look good in front of the village on Konoha's behalf - and then they attacked._

_**"DAMMIT, I'M OUT OF KUNAI!"** Uchiha Sasuke said as he tried (and failed) to pry the last of his knives from the chest of a bandit that he just stabbed. I hate ronins. They know enough to send the small fry first to tire us, and then they swoop in for the kill..._

_"You can have mine," Kiba said, tossing over his._

_"But..."_

_"I'm still good. Take it."_

_Sasuke took the kunai reluctantly, and put it to good use in a bit, helping the team drive out attackers for the third straight day._

_"Aren't you worried about dying here?" Sasuke finally asked during a lull in the action._

_"What do I know, I'm just a kid. Near dead-last, even," Kiba answered, chuckling at the little joke._

_"Didn't know it would be this hard..." Sakura said, forcing the bile down her throat for goodness knows how many times already. "I feel numb..."_

_"The civilians are safe so far, and with the two gangs fighting each other, we can afford a momentary rest," Kakashi said. "I'll take watch, you guys can focus on recuperating."_

_"And for what it's worth, team..." he added before leaving the room, "I'm sorry I got you into this."_

_The three genin shook their heads in unison. "Not a problem, sensei."_

Uchiha Sasuke opened his eyes - not ten hours had passed since the ranking ninja of Yukigakure launched a blitz on their group, making off with Kiba and their client, who turned out to be Kazahana Koyuki.

That got the remaining three of them really pissed off, and Team 7 minus Kiba made short and painful work of several of the abductors - rogue-nin who had taken on the headband of Yukigakure after hearing their client's story.

After Kakashi-sensei had dropped a hint that yes, he did go on a mission or two to Yuki no Kuni, Fujikaze-hime did a perfect double-take as realization dawned on her.

"You're the ANBU... who got me out of the palace," she said resignedly.

That got the attention of two of Team 7's genin. _Kakashi-sensei was a former ANBU?_

Sasuke snickered a bit, as he already knew about his sensei's previous stint in Konoha's ANBU. Reading the scrolls on the basic taijutsu style of the ANBU in his free time as the Hokage's assistant led him to discover that what Kakashi had been teaching him (at first) and his teammates (after that C-rank) were ANBU taijutsu basics.

"I might have been," Kakashi replied offhandedly, reaching for his orange book. _Not a good way for my cute little genin to discover something about me like that..._

"ANBU don't just rescue actresses," Sakura mused. "Just who are you, really, Fujikaze-san?"

"My real name... is Kazahana Koyuki," the actress replied, sighing as the proverbial cat was let out of the bag. "And they're after me because I was entrusted the treasure of Yukigakure."

Sasuke smirked a bit. All it took was a little ninja play acting and they got that tidbit of information out. NOW the mission made sense - except they still didn't know what the "treasure of Yukigakure" was. Maybe it was something like the Heart of Konoha, which, last he heard, was actually some sort of bow their senior Tenten was now using to great effect in Team Guy.

But Sasuke wasn't smirking, snickering or guessing about anything now, as he, Sakura, and their sensei took to the snow-capped trees, taking the briefest of respites to get to the fortress that was once the home of their client.

Time was running out.

* * *

"Holy tails of Kyuubi! What is that?" Naruto shouted to no one in particular as he saw the monstrous shape bear down towards him.

And then he turned tail and ran, until he ended up backed into a corner, with the shape looming larger and larger in front of him.

_I'm gonna die here. In my mind. Where my body outside will end up comatose and eating out of a tube for the rest of my godforsaken life. What a sucky way to go._

**_Who said I would kill you?_**

_Who said that?_

_**I did.**_

_Where are you?_

**_You, child, have trouble with seeing things that are just in front of you._**

Naruto looked, and realized it was this gigantic humanoid-shaped... something that was speaking to him gently.

_I don't believe it._

**_Well, better believe it now. I should introduce myself properly, by the way. They call me Zen, the god of Origins. _**[note 2]**_  
_**

_Uh... I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Pleased to meet you, sir._

**_I'm glad those lessons on etiquette weren't wasted, young one. Nevertheless, we have more serious business at hand. You heard the Sage's story, right?_**

_Yes, sir, I have._

**_It is because of witnessing that, that you can see me in your mindscape now._**

_Are you sealed into me as well, sir?_

**_No. It is through many connections that I am able to speak with you. But there is this: we will meet soon. A dark force is looming on the horizon, and you will require my aid to battle it._**

_What should I do?_

**_Do? Tell me, young one, what do you know about Uzugakure?_**

_The Village Hidden in the Whirpool? Didn't the Kyuubi wipe it off the map?_

**_Nothing could be further from the truth. Uzugakure was wiped out by other forces. Why?_**

_I don't know. They say Uzu was an early ally of Konoha._

**_That's not the real reason. Uzugakure was the village entrusted with the secrets of this world, secrets that have turned lesser men mad with the realization._**

Naruto blanched.

_So will I go mad if I find out these secrets?_

**_You're already a walking treasure trove of secrets, young Naruto. The truth you've just seen is but the beginning. Clear your mind. You hold in your hand the fate of worlds._**

_Worlds?_

The giant figure nodded.

_**Fare you well, young one. We shall be meeting soon.**_

Another flash, and back went Uzumaki Naruto to the meadow.

"I'm getting kinda tired of this," Naruto muttered to himself, but stopped short of running in a random direction, his breath holding in his throat as he took in the sight.

There, in the meadow, stood a gigantic orange fox as tall as a mountain, its nine tails swaying in random directions, causing tremors in the mindscape as the tails crashed onto the ground.

"Hello... Naruto."

Naruto swallowed a lump that had suddenly grown in his throat upon seeing the true form of the entity sealed within him - the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox.

* * *

"So, he was your genin - and now he's unconscious, unresponsive, but stable," the brunette said just as the Konoha chunin and jonin followed the resistance leader to her office.

"I'm afraid so, but he did save your subordinate's life," Yuuhi Kurenai answered.

"That's just sad, but inevitable," the resistance leader said. "What can you do, when you're out of luck at home, outsource..."

"Smart philosophy, miss..." Precia said.

"Terumi. Mei Terumi, and now that you're here, I can draft up a plan to finish off the civil war here in Mizu."

She rolled down a series of purloined documents: ANBU rotations, scouting reports on the village ninja, lists of resistance pockets, and most importantly, the schedule of Yagura, the fourth Mizukage.

"Our battle plan is simple: The jonin will back me up in striking down the Mizukage while the chunin and genin take advantage of the low-personnel ANBU rotation to divert their attention away from their Kage."

"We'll be two genin and one chunin short for this OP," Precia remarked. "Chunin Uzumaki is currently unconscious but stable. I've assigned my genin Cinque and Sein to watch over him."

"Not a problem," the eyepatch and spell-tag wearing aide of the resistance leader said. "Terumi-sama, how soon can we launch this operation?"

"Wednesday."

"Day after tomorrow?" Alicia asked.

"Yes. It will also allow my cute bodyguard Chojuro to get himself up to a hundred percent. Prepare yourselves; battling against a Kage is just short of battling the impossible, but it is a gigantic risk we must take, not only for Kirigakure, but for the world of ninja, too."

"We'll do our best, Terumi-sama."

"I shall see you on the field, then. Ao, please escort them to their quarters... Haku, please stay behind."

"As you wish, my lady."

As all but one of the Konoha-nin were ushered out, Precia took that moment to talk to Might Guy.

"Guy. You doing all right?"

"Can't help but worry about Lee."

"He'll be fine. Don't worry about him."

"I'm worrying about his future," Guy said, and that got Precia quiet for awhile. _What would I do if Alicia had an injury like that?_

_No, I'm not going to do it again. It's time I grew strong enough to face the risks this kind of life brings._

"I'm sure he's going to be okay. If there's someone I know who can overcome handicaps, it's Lee."

Kurenai heard the conversation, and her heart grew heavy as she remembered the girl who had so idolized her...

Meanwhile, back in the office...

"Is it true?"

"Yes, my lady. My apologies."

The capable and composed Terumi Mei was soon reduced to quiet sobbing after confirming the death of her on-again off-again boyfriend Momochi Zabuza.

When her sobs had finished and she had collected herself, she asked Haku one question.

"Did he die with honor?"

"Yes, my lady. He died a hero to Nami no Kuni. The Great Momochi Bridge is a testament to that."

"Thank you, Haku... oh yes, I did some digging while you were gone, and I found out your bloodline belongs to the Mikagami Clan."

"Do I have any clan mates left?"

She shook her head.

"That figures..." Haku said wistfully.

"Still," Mei said as she reached for an item in her desk drawer, "I managed to secure this - your clan's heirloom."

"What is it?"

"Here," the resistance leader said as she tossed what looked like a sword hilt to the Konoha chunin. "Ensui, the Vapor Edge - made by the Mikagami Clan to counter the Raijin of Senju Tobirama."

Haku's eyes twinkled. He had finally found his identity... but still... "If you don't mind, Terumi-sama... I will continue to use the name Momochi."

Mei smiled at her paramour's ward. "I knew you'd say that. And I hope you raise the Momochi Clan to be powerful and as loyal as you are. Now go join your comrades."

"Yes, my lady," Haku said, bowing respectfully before leaving Mei's office.

_Zabuza..._ she thought. _You've raised him well._

_

* * *

_"Hello... Kyuubi."

The fox smiled, unnerving Naruto as he saw rows and rows of sharp teeth - _a smile like that is mounds worse than that smile of Guy-sensei's_.

"Isn't the seal supposed to keep you from doing that?" Naruto asked, trying to keep his panic under control.

"Yes, but we are in an interval. So..." the Demon Fox said as it began to shrink, "I might as well take this chance to subdue your mind and then discreetly sneak out of your body, lack of demonic chakra be damned."

The Fox took the form of the young man Naruto saw in his vision, except his ears and tail were orange, and there was this strange glow in his eyes, an aura that reminded him of something... or someone, he just couldn't remember when and where.

Or move, as the fox-man carefully strode towards him, a sheathed katana in one hand.

"As a consolation prize for you letting me out," the Kyuubi began, slowly unsheathing the bladed weapon in front of the boy, "let me tell you just how the hell I got here: it all started with the two scions of the Senju and Uchiha throwing a hissy fit many, many years ago."

"You don't want to do this."

"Oh, but breaking out of the seal is the one thing I have been aiming for from the very beginning," the Kyuubi answered as he let out a quiet laugh. "You only got my help because one, you would have died early on otherwise; two, I owe my return to sentience to the Dragon Sage; three, I find Lass a very good ally; and lastly... you remind me of myself, all those many years ago."

Naruto blinked, and then the fox-man was on him, slashing. He barely rolled away as the sword cleanly sliced through some reeds, the cut leaves floating into the air.

"And if I took the chance to break out of this seal now... it won't end up killing you. Now get your kunai out, and let's do this," the Kyuubi muttered.

Naruto immediately swallowed his fear and charged in with kunai in both hands, roaring out a battle cry as both weapons met in a shower of sparks.

"That's the spirit!" the fox-man said in delight as he threw a thrust kick that connected, knocking his opponent back several feet. "The Senju and Uchiha contended for leadership of Konoha. This was unprecedented, as both Clans could trace their lineage to the Sage of Six Paths."

"Why did you attack Konoha, then?"

"For several reasons," the Kyuubi said as he re-sheathed his sword and changed his posture in what Naruto knew to be a battou-jutsu stance. "First, I had been blackmailed by the Uchiha scion Madara. His cursed eyes sealed away much of my memories, and dangled them in front of me like a carrot on a stick, as if I was an accursed rabbit!"

He roared, slashing out with even more speed and power that though Naruto blocked the blow with both kunai, he was still sent hurtling back by the force of the slash. "What was worse: not only was I was sealed into some Uzumaki woman after being used in that battle, my memories were still in the hands of that bastard Madara!"

"Why do you hold your memories in such high regard?"

"You saw that vision. My memory of being a kitsune youkai are all that prevents me from going into a murderous rage. It is a reminder of my sacrifice and my responsibilities."

Another exchange of slashes.

The Kyuubi slashed forward, and Naruto took the chance to run on the blade, stepping on the fox-man's arm and kicking off with his foot, tagging the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's human form in the face.

"Good one..." the fox-man said, resheathing his sword to wipe the blood off his nose. "To make matters worse, as soon as that Uzumaki died, I thought I could go back to Konoha and try and get my memories back, but I ended up sealed again... to some woman named Kushina."

Both combatants saw a red light bathe the battleground in an unnerving red glow, but paid it no heed.

**"AND ALL THEY SAW WAS THE MONSTROUS POWER!" **the Kyuubi roared, again slashing at his opponent, only for Naruto to block, roll with the blow, and step back to prevent a possible retaliatory strike. "People who witness my power are stricken with so much fear, they immediately jump to the conclusion that I am evil incarnate!"

**"DO THEY KNOW THE SACRIFICES I AND MY KIND MADE? DID UZUMAKI KUSHINA KNOW THAT THE CHAINS SHE USED TO BIND ME SEALED AWAY WHATEVER 'HUMANITY' I HAD LEFT AND REDUCED ME TO A RAGING MONSTER?"**

"No. No, they did not. And when the time came that Uzumaki Kushina was with child, Madara returned, extracting me from my prison, bribing me with my memories to continue where he left off: the attack on Konoha proper. Little did he know that the Hokage at the time - Namikaze Minato - would end up spoiling his plans."

This time, a yellow light bloomed into view - the meadow was now bathed in the orange light of two suns.

"I thought the Yondaime was smart enough then to avert total catastrophe... but when I, in my remaining moments of clarity, saw the Shinigami himself being summoned, I roared out my rage at the colossal stupidity of this so-called genius. To keep my body and my spirit separate just to make the load easier on his accursed son - how would he know the truth, then? How would he put his plan into action if the players on his side of it don't know their roles?"

With great vengeance and furious anger, the Kyuubi broke Naruto's guard wide open with an overhead strike.

Naruto could see the rage in the fox-man's eyes. At this moment, the Kyuubi did not see Naruto as his foe - he was seeing everyone who had led him to this sad fate of staying in the mindscape, his only escape the world of dreams, and the second-hand sight of those he had given a gift of his purified youkai chakra, too.

But Naruto was one who read things instinctively - in his rage, the Kyuubi's movements were powerful and fast, but also very easily telegraphed. The finishing move the fox-man used came from the side... and Naruto spun around to avoid it, throwing a kick that landed to the side of the fox-man's head, too.

"You think that's bad?" Naruto asked quietly. "I never knew why people hated me. It was only until I found out about you. Never hung it on your head, or whoever sealed you into me. But now..."

This time, it was Naruto who went in swinging, staggering the Kyuubi with a flurry of punches, kicks, and barely-dodged kunai slashes that even the fox-man's battou-jutsu couldn't keep up with - he took several hard hits before shifting to hand-to-hand combat to drive the boy back.

"Are they my parents?" Naruto roared out. "Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato?"

Hell yes, Naruto knew who Namikaze was. Looked up to him as a hero, even.

But this... hearing the other side of the coin made him rather contemptuous of the people he now knew to be his parents.

"On your sixth birthday, several townspeople were influenced to try and assassinate you. In your desperation to survive, you tapped on my power, even though you weren't supposed to do so until you were twelve," the Kyuubi said. "The chunin who organized the attack ended up half the man he used to be. Then one of my old friends stepped in."

"Senryuu-sama?" Naruto asked, the fact stopping his rage in its tracks.

The Kyuubi nodded. "Somehow, with that technique he used, he made me whole again... the cloud of rage over my eyes was... gone. I could carry on my responsibilities in keeping the monster's chakra within me, even as I was sealed within you."

Naruto's grip on his kunai tightened. "So for all our power... we're still subject to the whims of fate, are we?"

"It seems so... just as we are destined to battle for my fate, here and now," the Kyuubi answered as he let out a smile. "Shall we continue?"

Naruto answered by lunging and throwing out a wide slash, which the fox-man blocked with the sheath of his sword.

They both chuckled as their battle in the meadow of Naruto's mind continued.

* * *

"Hey, Kazahana-hime?" Inuzuka Kiba asked.

The two were currently in one of the holding cells in the main fortress of Yukigakure - their erstwhile leader (and Koyuki-hime's uncle) Dotou was busy dealing with infiltrators - could it be Team 7?

"Yes... what is it?" the estranged princess answered.

Kiba sighed. "How about I tell you a few stories about me while we pass the time in this cell?"

"Nothing better to do, I guess."

Kiba chuckled, those Yukigakure-nin were absolute gullible stiffs to manacle Akamaru with him and the Yuki princess in the same cell. Escaping would be tedious, but gradual. "You know what I'm looking forward to, why I'm still optimistic about breaking outta here?" he asked.

"No, and I think it's rather blase for you to think so. Why keep that outlook?"

"Because when I get out of here and get back to Konoha, I'm gonna head right to the dango store and ask Mitarashi Anko out on a date."

Akamaru whined.

"Oh, come on, you don't see me taking shots at those bitches you're eyeing, Akamaru," Kiba shot back at his nin-dog partner. "Anyway, where was I? Mitarashi-san helps Sensei out at times... and now she puts up seminars for our fellow genin and chunin on poisons, advanced taijutsu, weapons, ninja tools, and seduction techniques."

"How much older do you think she is?" asked Koyuki after a small silence passed.

"She's twice my age."

"Someone's a mama's boy," replied Koyuki with a light laugh, and Akamaru followed, chuckling like the cartoon dog sidekick of that Dastardly guy.

"What's wrong with that? I mean, Mitarashi-san is beautiful, a strong kunoichi, and uh, she once let slip that I may have a chance if I prove myself."

"You asked for her specific criteria, Inuzuka-san?"

"Not really. Haven't gotten around to doing it."

Koyuki sighed. "So... tell me what she looks like."

"She's tall, with purple hair, wears a mesh shirt, a miniskirt and a leather coat... that's it."

"Impressive."

"Oh yeah," Kiba said. "Plus, they say her PT regimen is just as harsh as that of Might Guy. I mean, you can see the proof, she doesn't need a brassiere to keep her chest up!"

"Ah, to be conditioned like a ninja," Koyuki mused. Somehow, that would come in handy in the future, when producers would inevitably ask her to take on edgier roles - she was rather inventive in that regard. "So you do look down her coat!"

"Haven't gotten around being as sneaky as my teammate Sasuke about it, though. So I get beaten up for my trouble."

"You're a rather sad, hormone-driven teenager," Koyuki observed, chuckling.

Akamaru barked his approval, and Kiba tried to scowl at this, but couldn't completely hide his happiness at getting the princess to open up, even a bit.

He was about to start making comments on his teammate Sakura's excellently shaped rear-end when he heard a familiar tweeting outside.

"Cavalry's here," he said, and in two minutes flat Kakashi and Sasuke kicked the door to their prison cell down.

"Just in time," Koyuki said as Sakura disarmed the traps on the doorway. "How'd you manage to track us?"

"Scent," Kakashi said. "About time your smell played to our advantage, Kiba."

The Inuzuka sighed as Sakura channeled a little lightning-element chakra to a finger and shorted out the manacles binding her teammate.

"Hey, that smarts!" Kiba yelled as the cuffs came off. Sasuke, meanwhile, had picked the lock on Kazahana-hime.

"They took anything off you, Kazahana-hime?" Kakashi asked.

"My necklace..." the princess said.

The team gasped.

"So that's why their formation was surprisingly thin when we got here," Sakura said. "The target is already heading for the treasure!"

Kiba put up hand signs. "Jujin Bunshin!"

Akamaru morphed into another Kiba.

"Go look after Kazahana-hime," Kiba said, and Akamaru-in-Kiba's-guise nodded his assent.

"Let's get going, we might be too late," the princess said, and within minutes they were racing down the fortress corridors, following the Princess' directions towards the treasure of Yukigakure, mowing down the opposition and preparing for the worst should they arrive with the treasure already in the hands of the enemy.

* * *

Naruto slashed with his kunai, narrowly missing the fox-man's chest by inches. As the regulation ninja knife whizzed through the air, the Kyuubi found himself experiencing a memory... one of Naruto's?

_"Okay, class. I've graded the assignments you passed last Friday," Umino Iruka began. "Some of you understood, and some of you, well... haven't quite gotten what the Will of Fire is all about."_

_A dark-haired kunoichi-in-training pouted. "Darn, Iruka-sensei gave me a D."_

_"It's more like you earned a D with your answer, Ami," the scarred Academy teacher continued on, without missing a beat. "It's perfectly understandable for most of you not to get it at first."_

_"Howver... two of you here..." the teacher added, producing two scrolls, "managed to put forward the meaning of the 'Will of Fire' in ways I never expected. Hyuuga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto, please recite these in front of the class, kunoichi first."_

_"Hai, sensei."_

_The Kyuubi smiled at the S+ rating on both their scrolls as Hinata began reciting her work._

**_"The Will of Fire - by Hyuuga Hinata:_**

**_To me, the Will of Fire is determination._**

**_A determination to be the best I can be, whether I am a ninja, kunoichi, or civilian. A determination to continue forth when all hope is lost, to live and die with meaning, to struggle on even in the face of hopelessness._**

**_The Will of Fire is compassion._**

**_The world of ninja is ruthless. It is a hard life to live, but for us to remain who we are, the Will of Fire should burn brightly within us, in the way we conduct ourselves as ninja; as sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, cousins... excuse me, Sensei, I have something in my eye... friends... It may be a bleak world outside of Konoha, but because we have the Will of Fire, doesn't mean we have to submit to it._**

**_In closing, the Will of Fire not only makes us better students and better ninja, but also better people._**

**_Thank you."_**

_Hinata took her seat to the applause of the entire classroom - even Uchiha Sasuke had to applaud at his rival's skill in expressing herself._

The Kyuubi retaliated with a slash of his own, and it was Naruto's turn to see one memory of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox.

_The Kyuubi and the Shukaku were under a tree, taking in the sights from their point of view: seated under a towering tree. Their eyes were focused on the sky above, and the mountains in the distance._

_And then the younger one broke the silence. "Aniki."_

_"Yes, Shukaku?"_

_"Why did you do it?"_

_"You mean pranking Hachibi?"_

_"No... with your sister."_

_"Ah."_

_"I mean, why didn't you become the Sage Fox? Your strength is much greater than your sister's."_

_"But that's where you're wrong, Shukaku. Onee-chan and I have our own strengths. Though both of us may be skilled in the Sage Arts, I am a combat specialist while she's a genius at sealing and kitsune magic. Besides," the Kyuubi said, "she's always been kind of comparing her achievements to mine. I mean, when the Summoning Contracts were drawn up between our kind and the Rikudo Sennin, I got called as the Fox Boss even though Onee-chan did everything she could."_

_"She's still mad at you?"_

_"Yeah," the Kyuubi said. "Only time will tell if she comes to understand that I'm doing this for her not to live in my shadow anymore and make her own mark in the world."_

_He smiled. "Besides, last time she raised a fuss, Otou-san put her over his knee and gave her twenty."_

_Shukaku smiled._

_"Will I ever get as strong as you are, Aniki?"_

_"You will... just have faith in your friends... and faith in yourself."_

_"All right!"_

Both of them were breathing raggedly now, the fight in the mind taking more out of them than they thought.

One of Naruto's kunai had been broken by a slash, and now the song of battle was bracing for its final, explosive refrain.

"There is really no way for this to end, is there?" Naruto asked.

"I'm afraid not. My desire for freedom outweighs my desire to see you through this to the end."

"Anyway, Kyuubi-san... for all that it's worth, I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted, Naruto-kun. Let us end this in one go."

Lightning crackled across the meadow, and even before the thunderclap boomed, both fighters had charged headlong at each other, readying their trump cards.

Slash.

Somewhere close by, Lass was freaking out.

"This can't be... it can't end like this!" he said. "Your sacrifice won't be in vain. It won't be allowed!"

"Device Spirit Accessing function CVK-798!"

**"Access Denied. Function has already been queued as a subroutine of CVK-442b."**

"WHAT THE HELL?"

Naruto finished his charge and skittered across the meadow grass with a rather deep gash on his shoulder.

The Kyuubi, on the other hand, screamed as a massive gash down his left side opened up, spraying blood everywhere.

The boy tried his hardest not to cry. Wind chakra... that was all there was to it, the only way he could counter the range of the fox-man's katana.

He had won, but it was a price too terrible to pay, as he had grown to respect the demon fox within him.

Naruto strode forward to his fallen opponent.

"I'm sorry..." he said as the fox-man's life leaked into the grass and the dirt.

"Don't be... it was just my time... just look after Shukaku for me."

"And believe... in... yourself..." he said as he slowly disintegrated into dots of light.

Naruto barely had time to bawl his eyes out as the meadow suddenly disintegrated and the gigantic Velkan Magic Circle reappeared, flaring out its blue-white light, surrounding him completely.

And then, the mechanical voice Naruto knew that was his Device echoed throughout the light.

**"Linker Core Reactivation complete."**

**"Activating Subroutine."**

**"Unison Device Creation Protocol Initiated."**

Orange lights began dancing around Uzumaki Naruto as he saw an aqua blue light get drawn from his belly, a small piece of it adding to the conglomerate of orange lights.

**"Unison Device Creation Completed. Reynardine, awaken."**

During Naruto's journey in the mind, he had stumbled onto some very surprising things, so by that time, he had thought that there was nothing that could surprise him anymore.

He was wrong.

An orange Velkan Magic Circle bloomed to life, and the lights reformed... into the shape of a nine-tailed fox.

The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox was once again reborn.

"I was completely sure I died that time," he said, scratching his cheek to a flabbergasted Naruto. "Why's your jaw on the floor anyway, Naruto?"

"Y-y-y-y-y-you were dead! I killed you to stop you from leaving, Kyuubi-san!"

"Please. Do call me Reynardine from now on," the newly-christened Unison Device said, smiling. "Calling me Fox is fine, too."

"Sure will, Fox."

"Thanks."

They were returned to the meadow, where a gigantic blue Velkan Magic Circle was once again embossed on the sky - and this time, two people were standing on the grass, waiting for them.

A blonde man and a redheaded woman.

Naruto's throat felt like it was filled with cotton as he took hesitating steps towards the two. As his pace quickened, he felt a rush of blood all over his body - _what is this feeling? _he asked himself.

Somehow, he managed to make it there and enclose both of them in an embrace without breaking out in sobs. Tears were going down his cheeks, though - but he did not notice or care.

* * *

Kazahana Dotou was a man who made very few mistakes.

These mistakes would end up costing him everything.

First was not making sure his beloved niece Koyuki was dead - it all but opened the door for a young dog-masked ANBU to swoop in and save her from the burning manor house.

Second was not finding out the true nature of Yukigakure's treasure. It was a freaking generator, for crying out loud! Not just any generator; a generator that not only helped power up Yuki no Kuni, but the excess heat it exuded began the process of melting the snow in the region!

And here he thought it was something of monetary value.

His third, and most important mistake, was relying on the Chakra armor too much.

The Uchiha was exhausted, the pink-haired kunoichi was at the back working with the Copy-nin, and the Inuzuka before him had just one more good shot left in his arsenal.

He laughed. No one could pierce the finest chakra armor of Yukigakure with ordinary attacks like that.

"Kiba..." Sasuke said. "Just one question."

"Don't have time for twenty questions," the Inuzuka replied. "So, shoot."

"You trust me?" he asked.

"Why now?"

"Just coat your hands with the chakra for the Chidori Senkou," Sasuke said, drawing out something from within himself to get his Sharingan into the ascended form even though by rights he should be down for the count.

"We have only one shot at this, Kiba. Make it count."

The Inuzuka nodded as he poised himself to do his special attack - the combination of the Inzuka clan's Tsuuga attack and their variation of the Chidori.

He lunged and spun in the same movement, zeroing in on the person who started this whole mess in Yuki for some treasure.

"Tsuuga!" he yelled, all the while pouring all of his remaining chakra to his hands in preparation for the Chidori Senkou.

With a superhuman calling of willpower, Uchiha Sasuke bellowed out the last ninjutsu he could do before collapsing from exhaustion.

**"ENTON! KAGUTSUCHI NO TE!"**

Black flames began dancing around Kiba's hand, but he paid it no heed, continuing on until he crashed against his opponent, the chakra armor stopping his advance.

That is, until the unquenchable fires of Amaterasu burned through the protection, leaving Kazahana Dotou vulnerable to a...

**"CHIDORI SENKOU!"** Kiba yelled. Now that the black fires in his hands were gone, the activating yell forced the chakra in his hands to rush to his fingers, endowing them with the crackling Lightning element.

The enemy only caught the beginning of the tweeting before Inuzuka Kiba tore a hole through him with the combined ninjutsu.

* * *

The Kirigakure ANBU were about to close in on them - but that was the point of it all.

Draw the ANBU away from their Kage - long enough for Terumi-sama and their jonin-sensei to finish the job.

But now, the whole team was nearly incapacitated, with Alicia the only one remaining conscious - but there were several other ANBU left.

And she'd wasted her chakra to get a couple Raiton variants of the Kage Bunshin to keep her comrades safe.

_Looks like it's game over, _Alicia said to herself. _It's not going to end this way - I won't allow it._

"The Will of Fire protects. That is my duty."

_I'm not going to put my own improvement ahead of my duty. Not anymore._

_**Excellent.**_

_Siegfried?_

_**Say my name, and I shall be the shield and sword to aid you in protecting and fighting for your duty.**_

"Ronan Erudon..." Alicia whispered as the ANBU inched forward, ninjato at the ready.

**"I ACCEPT MY DUTY! SIEGFRIED, AEGIS MODE!"**

_**"Command acknowledged. Transcending to Aegis Mode. Barrier Jacket, Duke Mode."**_

A flash of light knocked the closest ANBU several feet back, and when it subsided, Alicia was now sporting a more ornate variant of her ninja uniform - she also sported a small shield on her left arm, and the sword affixed to it seemed larger, too.

The ANBU, thinking this was a desperate little girl's last stand, dashed in, only to find their target had beat them to it, coming in fast from their flank.

A flurry of slashes, and Alicia had cut down most of them as _**"Flash Rush"**_ echoed from the shield she was holding.

An intrepid Mist ANBU decided to take a swing at that shield, only to be warded aside when a shaped burst of energy from the shield blocked that attack.

_**"BLOCKING."**_

After cutting that surprised ANBU down, Alicia turned to one of the stragglers.

"Siegfried, go!"

**"TES!"** Alicia shouted, lunging forward, the force of her impact with the ground and the slash creating a shockwave that disoriented her target and sent him skyward.

**"TA!" **Alicia took to the air, slashing at the ANBU's wrist and divesting him of his weapon.

**"RO!" **She swung again, tagging the ANBU in the gut.

**"SSA!" **Another swing, and the ANBU felt pain flow through his legs.

**"ALICIA RENDAN!" **the girl shouted, finishing her combination by swinging the sword down hard, sending the hapless Kirigakure ANBU to the ground in a heap.

Upon her descent, some of her colleagues were already beginning to stir. Quickly, she reverted her Device to Glaive Mode and cast Divine Fortitude to aid the team's recovery.

Not a bit too soon, as there outside the compound, the last vestiges of those loyal to the Mizukage assembled, aiming to finish what their Kage started - a total bloodline massacre.

"That's a lot of ninja," Tenten mused as she got up, winded but ready after getting her third wind back, reactivating Nova in Greatbow Form. "Sure we can take them?"

"I'm sure," Alicia said as she cut her hand and made the handsigns. Sure enough, her partner dragon Teepo appeared at the puff of smoke.

"Hello, Alicia. Glad to see you've finally understood my little riddle," Teepo said in greeting.

"Thanks for the heads-up, Teepo-san, but we need your help now," Alicia said.

"Tiamat form again?" he asked.

"Something a bit more compatible with my Device," Alicia answered, reverting Siegfried to Aegis Mode.

"I have just the thing," Teepo said as he jumped into the air and transformed, distracting the attacking Mist-nin as he descended, a dragon all decked out in armor, wielding a lance.

"That's more like it," Alicia said.

"So, ladies first?" Teepo asked in a booming voice.

"Can you guys follow suit?" Alicia asked back to her teammates.

"We're good... ANBU took us by surprise is all," Haku said.

"Come on, we got a war to win! Charge!" Alicia cried as her dragon drew first blood, cutting through a swath of enemy nin with that monstrous weapon of his.

* * *

"You've grown a lot," the man said as he gave Naruto a smile.

In what was yet part of an unending series of surprises, Uzumaki Naruto was face-to-face with his childhood hero and recently-revealed father: Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage.

"And I owe you two an apology," the Yondaime said, turning to the orange-haired fox-man. "Especially you, Fox. I did the seal assuming you were just a creature born off the Ten-Tails' chakra. I never imagined you were also responsible for holding its power back."

The former Demon Fox smiled. "It is no issue now. What the boy needs to know is that there are worse threats out there than the Ten-Tails itself, right?"

"Indeed," Uzumaki Kushina answered. "Also, I am... sorry to you as well, Fox-san. Mito-shishou, Minato-kun and I... well, we assumed a lot of things and did you a very bad turn when we should have been helping you."

"Thank you, but we have more urgent business to discuss. Why was Uzugakure destroyed, Kushina-san?" Reynardine asked.

"There were secrets hidden there. Secrets that would have caused the Ninja Countries to destroy themselves through war. Iwagakure almost had it, but... before I could rope you into making sure they didn't get their hands on it, someone or something else beat me to it."

"Who could that be, I wonder?" Reynardine asked.

"Another riddle for another time," the Yondaime answered.

"Can any of these secrets be retreived, Kaa-san?" Naruto asked.

"Only those of the Uzumaki can access the final remaining vault," his mother answered. "It's deep in the Lifespring Grottoes in Nami no Kuni."

"The Land of Waves..." Naruto mused.

"Yes... and look at you now. You've grown so handsome," Kushina said, giving her son a teasing wink.

Naruto blushed as Reynardine tried to hold back a chuckle. "Thanks, I guess... the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, right?"

"That's about right, son," Minato answered, smiling.

"What about the Ten-Tails' chakra now that I'm a Unison Device?" Reynardine asked. "Who will seal it?"

"We will," the parents of Naruto said in unison. "Your job is to watch over the seal until it finishes purifying the chakra."

**"PURIFYING IT?" **Naruto asked, credulous.

"Yes," Reynardine said. "The conversion to Device showed me that the last layer of the seal will complete a Velkan exorcism circle that will completely cut off the cursed chakra from the outside world while the seal purifies it from the inside. When the process is complete I can be freed at your leisure, and you can call on the purified chakra at any time you wish - you might need my help to focus it, though."

"Thank goodness," Naruto said.

"Not only that," Minato added. "I... no... we... Kushina and I... we'd like to do you a good turn for all our failings... Naruto-kun, Reynardine."

"What do you mean?" Reynardine asked, confused.

"When we use our life-force to complete the seal, both of you will inherit our abilities... but you will have to work for them."

Naruto grinned. _A challenge so irresistible - no other gift would have been better for me; and the skills my folks used, too!_

_Wait, what were my parents famous for again?_

"Reynardine, we're not in any position to ask anything of you... but... please continue to take good care of Naruto after we're gone."

"The kid's basically a smaller version of me, don't you worry. I'll also make sure he's prepared to handle your more potent techniques, Minato-san, Kushina-san."

"Naruto-kun..."

"Yes, Tou-san?"

Minato nearly sobbed right then and there. "The Will of Fire... we ninja were born in an age of conflict. Even if ninja are no longer relevant, conflict will still remain. Promise me that you will do what you can, be the light not only of Konoha, but of the world of ninja."

"I will, father," Naruto answered, his shoulders beginning to shake and his eyes beginning to water.

"Naruto-kun..." Kushina added. "The task destiny has given you is enormous. I can foresee much suffering ahead. Can you endure this and keep your dreams alive?"

"Yes, Kaa-san..." Naruto sobbed, his self-control finally brekaing down. "I will..."

"Then with your friends by your side, you'll do magnificently. After all, you're our son... and we love you very much," Naruto's parents said.

"Tou-san... Kaa-san... I love you too..." Naruto said, continuing to sob.

"We'll always be with you... in your heart..." they said, while slowly vanishing from his sight.

"I'll remember... everything... always..." Naruto said, waving at them until they finally vanished from the meadow.

Naruto and Reynardine were about to start piling jabs on each other about how real men don't cry when an angry red sky suddenly appeared, only to shrink into a small ball.

**"VELKAN EXORCISM SEQUENCE CALCULATION FINISHED. IMPLEMENTING THE FIRST SEAL LAYER."**

The seal of the Shiki Fujin appeared, binding the ball even tighter.

**"IMPLEMENTING THE SECOND SEAL LAYER."**

The Shisou Fuin next appeared, securing the lock of the first seal.

**"THIRD SEAL LAYER."**

A circle of a snake biting its own tail constricted the seal assembly further.

**"FOURTH SEAL LAYER."**

Nine lines forming a spiral reinforced the seal of Ouroboros.

**"FINAL SEAL LAYER."**

To top it off, the Ancient Velkan magic circle bloomed to life, shrinking the presence of the cursed chakra to a tiny point before caging it in a metal box carved with both ancient and modern seal tags.

**"SEALING HAS BEEN COMPLETED. PURIFICATION NOW AT 0%."**

Halfway around the world, a man in an orange mask felt something disappear, never to be found again. He roared in rage, reminded of that one time he had tried to call on the memories of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox as a kitsune youkai and found nothing but a note saying "Blackmail this, motherfucker!", signed only by a circle of a snake biting its own tail.

"I suppose I can return to the real world now, Reynardine?"

"Try to."

"Yeah, I can."

"Okay, I'll stand by the seal."

Just as Naruto appeared, a gray-haired young man stumbled onto the clearing.

"You missed the party, Lass," Reynardine began.

"I **what?**"

* * *

It had been several days since Kazahana Koyuki took back Yuki no Kuni - wait, make that Haru no Kuni from her power-mad uncle.

Grateful to Team 7, there had been a celebration among the people now that their rightful daimyo had returned.

When a ninja force had been sufficiently raised, their first Yukikage would thus be elected.

Unfortunately for one Inuzuka Kiba, he had forgotten that after the mission would be a journey into the snow-capped mountains, to find the holder of the Sharingan's secrets.

He had to put off his proposition to the Snake-wielding special jonin for awhile.

A silver lining in his cloud was that yes, despite being Haru/Yuki no Kuni's daimyo, Kazahana-sama would continue her acting career - she hadn't won the Elemental Countries' version of the Academy Award for Best Actress yet, she said.

And now, after several days of trekking through the snowy mountains that put their survival training to the ultimate test, they had found their objective.

She was living in a immaculately designed house made from the packed snow and ice, and despite Sasuke correctly guessing her kind to be a yuki-onna, was warm and gracious upon their arrival.

That is, until Sasuke just froze when she said that the last person she taught was Uchiha Itachi... and then she added that with Sasuke's eyes, she could teach him even more than she did his brother, which mollified the Uchiha avenger a bit.

Team 7 went to sleep that night thinking of how this stay would help them, as they only had four months to train here before going to Suna for the Chunin Exams there...

* * *

He woke up.

First thing he sensed was hostility.

He also sensed his fellow Leaf-nin's fading chakra signatures.

_Cinque-chan... Sein-chan!_

Uzumaki Naruto jumped out of bed and immediately summoned his Device.

_**It's good to see you back, Meister.**_

_It's good to be back, Lass. Alicia-oneechan's two teammates are in trouble._

_**Then what are we waiting for?**_

**"Knight Armor: Flammenmodus."**

The Kirigakure ANBU sent to terminate the injured Leaf-nin thought they were on a crappy assignment.

Now it was more like a jackpot. These two Leaf kunoichi had mechanical body parts! They would fetch a very pretty penny in the black market, so they thought when they saw sparks fly and the glint of metal from the smaller one they wounded.

It didn't help them one bit when a flash of blue came through the doorway, stabbed one, slashed the other and turned the last one into pureed ANBU with his trademark technique.

Naruto only took one second to gape at the strange, sparking wound of his colleague before calling on several Kage Bunshin to look after them.

He was about to ask them of their strange physiology when he heard a female voice in his head.

_**Lass!**_

_**The mistress is in trouble!**_

_**How deep?**_

_**We're on our last legs here, we need reinforcements, now!**_

_**We're on our way, Elesis. Naruto, you heard her.**_

Naruto nodded, and glanced at the two genin with a look that meant "we'll talk about his later, okay?" before he braced himself and took off for where Hrist's mana signature was calling him and his two Devices.

It could be a trap, but he didn't care - he'd do whatever he could right now - while a terrible burden had been eased from his shoulders, he could feel a newer, more terrible one was about to be test his endurance to the very limit.

* * *

Rock Lee flexed his right arm.

And then he woke up with a start.

With a lot of hesitation he turned towards where there should be a stump... but in its place was a working right arm.

Never mind the strange metallic brace strapped to it.

He had an arm... again.

He turned towards the smiling brunette who he had tried to save.

Why did he have a brand-new arm again, anyway...?

He tried to ask the girl for answers, but his voice caught in his throat.

Guy-sensei was still out on that long-term mission to Wave.

"Um..." the girl began. "Thank you for saving me."

"It was the youthful thing to do, uh..." Lee replied.

"Yakumo..." the girl answered. "Kurama Yakumo."

"I remember you! You're that girl Kurenai-sensei had as her apprentice a time ago. What has happened?"

Yakumo sighed. "I'm sorry for getting you mixed up into all this... but Jashin is back."

* * *

In a flash of light, the torn garments that were Precia Testarossa's Barrier Jacket vanished, leaving her leaning heavily on the heavily cracked sword.

The Mizukage smiled - he would finally take revenge for one of his conspirators in engineering the bloodline purges.

Shimura Danzo would thus be avenged.

He reared back his fist, filled it with the Sanbi's monstrous chakra as much as he could, and dashed forward, with the song of battle on his lips and the fires of vengeance burning in his eyes.

Unfortunately, that was not to be, as from out of nowhere, a blue flash entered his field of vision just as a blunt force crashed into his gut and pressed forward, reversing his charge and sending him flying into the rubble some distance away.

The resistance leader looked - _weren't they all out of the fight? But who could have come to their aid?_

When the blue blur finally twisted through the air and made a graceful landing just in front of the purple-haired Konoha jonin [note 3] the first thing Terumi Mei saw on their savior were the gray flames lining the bottom of his sky-blue longcoat.

"If you don't mind," the voice of Uzumaki Naruto announced as he stood up, "I'll take it from here."

Yagura's eyes widened at the new arrival. Blond hair and blue eyes reminiscent of the Fourth Hokage... foxlike whisker marks... and did he hear the name "Uzumaki"?

_Danzo was right after all. Those rumors really did turn out to be true! _the Fourth Mizukage thought as he let out a massive laugh at just how lucky he ended up being: first, this enterprising little tart who dared put up a resistance to him; and then, Konoha sends the one responsible for nipping off the bloodline purges in the bud; and now this! Konoha's own jinchuriki - the child of their accursed Yondaime and the strongest relic of Uzugakure - the wretched Uzumaki Clan - walks right into his hands!

"Sorry I couldn't make it earlier," Naruto said, taking stock of the fight. Guy-sensei was out, Kurenai-sensei was conscious, but could barely stand, Precia-sensei was still standing, though using her Device as a makeshift cane, and the client lady was fine.

"Namikaze..." Mei whispered. "...it can't be."

Naruto shot her a strange look, remembering one of the nice ladies who had taken him an onsen, fawned over how cute those whiskers of his looked, and - overwhelmed by his "cuteness" - very gladly obliged him and then some when he had asked them about how women looked like in the buff. His gaze then swung over to the purple-haired man, the aura of the Sanbi still swirling around him.

"It's Uzumaki," Naruto explained to the lady, and whipped out Reynard, going into his tried-and-true combat stance. "I've heard a lot of unsavory things about you. Most of it from Haku-chan," Naruto said, staring at the Mizukage.

"What of it?"

"Nothing. Just letting you have a chance to think over everything you've done before I turn you into a mop. Reynard, Knight Armor... Firestorm Mode."

**"Jawohl. Knight Armor - Feuersturmmodus."**

After a flash of light that dazzled everyone in the immediate vicinity, Uzumaki Naruto emerged, the coat's flame design more detailed than before.

"You think that little light show of yours impresses me?" Yagura asked. "I just pummelled that strumpet who killed Danzo, and she had a better-looking outfit than yours!"

Naruto answered that insult by flashing forward in a swirl of leaves and throwing a spin kick (one that would have made that jonin Kururugi-something-or-other proud) that found its mark, sending the Sanbi jinchuriki twirling through the air. Just before he could right himself, he ended up receiving a fist to the gut, leading him to crash through the battered wall of the Mizukage's sitting room and into a courtyard.

"This will be most interesting!" the Mizukage snarled, swapping with a boulder instead of getting up and counterattacking with a torrent of water that he aimed at the coat-clad chunin.

Naruto ended up taking the brunt of the blow, the torrent washing him a short distance away before he forced his chakra outward to free his hands up to form seals - turning the Mizukage's torrent into a Suiryudan of his own, sending it back at its creator.

The water dragon and chakra-laced fire hose met in a massive splash, and even before the first droplets hit the floor, both combatants were flying towards each other.

_**"Blitz Move."**_

With a quick change of direction, Naruto took the lead, whipping out Reynard and slashing at his opponent - only to be easily parried by the Mizukage's ninjato.

"They don't call them the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist for nothing, boy," mused Yagura as he took this chance to control the pace of the fight. To be a Mizukage, you had to show that you were better than everyone at swordsmanship, and Yagura now had a chance to put his moves to good use.

That wasn't the case, as even with Kirigakure's kenjutsu on his side, the Uzumaki bastard managed to keep the fight even by darting in and out of his defenses.

**_Naruto._**

_Yeah?_

**_We're not gonna pull off a win if we charge head-on, you know._**

_Kage Bunshin?_

**_It's gonna be a mite harder to do it now, as the new seal works off mana as well as chakra._**

_You saying what I think you're saying? Lass, Fox?_

**_Why not give it a try?_**

After hurtling backwards from blocking a slash, Naruto withdrew the daggers he was holding, and then moved his hands into his favorite seal...

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

A sky-blue Ancient Velkan magic circle bloomed to life at his feet before several clones poofed into existence.

_Impossible, _Precia thought._ If he can do that, then..._

Naruto grinned and drew his weapons once more, his clones following suit.

"Here... we... go!" he cried, and all the Narutos charged, daggers drawn.

NOW Yagura was completely on the defensive - the Sanbi might be giving him a regenerative healing factor, but he knew that if he made one slip, the flurry of attacks by Naruto and his Kage Bunshin would easily cut him to ribbons.

The Mizukage thus grunted and decided to show this upstart Uzumaki the power of the entity sealed within him. With a gigantic pulse of chakra released - that not only completely disrupted Naruto's clones, it shook even the foundations of the Mizukage's keep - the Sanbi's chakra began to form a shroud on the Yondaime Mizukage.

The only thing that saved Uzumaki Naruto from being overwhelmed by the demonic energy and bloodlust was his Knight Armor - and when he saw that his opponent was playing for keeps, he decided to take it up a notch as well.

_Looks like using that is out of the question._

**_Sorry, but I'm just starting to get the hang of my new role within you, Naruto._**

_Take your time._

**_Well, we don't have that luxury now, do we?_**

_I suppose not._

Grinning evilly at his supposed "advantage", Yagura conjured up an Imari to incinerate this foe. The evil grin turned to full-on laughter as the ball of condensed chakra made its way towards Naruto and detonated, causing the onlookers to gasp...

...only for Naruto to step through the smoke unscathed, his left hand extended in a warding gesture, a Velkan Magic Circle superimposed on his palm.

That's when everyone saw that the boy no longer carried the daggers - his left arm was wrapped in chains while his right hand carried a ninjato-esque sword.

_**Your Binding and Sealing specialties are amplified in this form. Use Dispelling Yoke with Splash Explosion. The chains used for the skill have been enchanted with your Sealing bloodline.**_

_How do I do that?_

**_I'll take care of that end - going to upload the necessary steps to your head. Meanwhile, take care of your end._**

_Which is?_

**_Stay alive so I can finish this!_**

A chakra tail lashed out at Naruto, launching him skyward.

**Knight Armor efficiency lowered by 25%.**

_Just that one hit?_

**_The next hit will most likely pierce your defenses._**

_Then let's take it out before it takes us out,_ Naruto thought as his ideas ran through his Device's data banks until Reynard found the shooting spell that best accentuated his thoughts.

"Nothing you can do will stop me, boy!" roared the Mizukage as the chakra shroud slowly but surely began taking on the shape of the beast sealed within him.

"Not gonna stop you," Naruto said, whipping out a brace of kunai exuding a light blue aura.

"Gonna put your ass down," he answered. "Reynard, load cartridge for Bloody Dagger."

_**"Jawohl,"**_ responded the Device as a cartridge was chambered. _**"Explosion!"**_

Naruto grinned. _**"Blutiger Dolch!"**_ Reynard enunciated as Naruto threw the first salvo of his trademark shooting attack.

It merely bounced off the chakra shroud and clattered onto the ground.

Naruto smirked as he readied another batch, but rolled to the side to prevent a retaliatory burst of water-element bijuu chakra.

He countered by throwing a larger handful of those kunai - to no effect.

This went on for awhile, until a stray tail hit sent Naruto careening into the walls, only to burst into a rock as he hit the concrete.

"Kawarimi!"

**_Not just yet, _**the voice told Naruto. _**Give it a little more time.**_

_Yes, I know now, _Naruto answered as he broke cover and fired off a Taihou Rasengan at his opponent, sending him several feet back.

**_Good estimation of distance. Just a while longer._**

Another stray hit from one of three tentacles sent Naruto into some rubble. When the dust cleared away, the sky-blue longcoat was gone, revealing the mesh shirt Naruto usually wore under his outfits.

And he was breathing heavily and bleeding from surface cuts.

"What's wrong? Are your powers all this?"

Naruto took a few breaths to steady himself and looked at the crazed Mizukage in the eye. "Yeah."

"Then die, Uzugakure scum!" shouted Yagura as he readied himself to shoot the biggest Imari Naruto had seen so far... but in his mind, he was synchronizing something... and the timing was now perfect.

"I'm not the one who's gonna bite it today," Naruto replied, going into hand seals.

"You are," he added as he plunged his left hand into the ground: "Reynard, Shimerarete Kubiki!"

_**"Einschn rendes Joch!"**_

Suddenly, all of the kunai Naruto scattered around the battlefield burst in blue flashes, each and every of them turning into magical circles.

And then chains burst from them, wrapping around the Sanbi jinchuuriki's chakra shroud, preventing his movement.

"Your reign in blood is over, Mizukage... Fuin!" Naruto bellowed as he finished the sequence of seals with his right hand.

_**"Dichtung."**_

Spikes burst from the links of every chain, sending a purifying blast of combined mana and chakra through the shroud and into the Yondaime Mizukage.

He screamed as he felt the chakra shroud almost burn off him for almost an eternity, and then, it was over.

The beast had gone.

It had gone.

Somehow, he felt that he should have known what he was doing here, but for Yagura... he couldn't remember anything.

Thus, Yagura, the Yondaime Mizukage, gave his opponent the strangest look of confusion, disorientation, and maybe a hint of gratitude before his body finally gave out from the jinchuriki seal dispelling in the aftermath of Naruto's Strangling Yoke.

Naruto took several shaky steps towards his opponent to make sure he had won, but he had scarcely taken two when the chakra-laced water the battleground had been awash in began coalescing.

Everyone's eyes widened as the Sanbi no Kyodaigame began to will itself into existence once more.

**_Naruto... stay with me. I want a word with him._**

_Fine... I'm not in that good a shape after a massive technique like that._

_**Just stay awake. You might need to hear what the Sanbi has to say.**_

Meanwhile, everyone who thought that the coast was clear were frozen where they were, eyes transfixed on the newly-liberated Tailed Beast.

Naruto closed his eyes and let out a careful breath as the Sanbi finished its rebirth. As he opened his eyes, the blue of his eyes was now purple.

"Yo. Kame-san," Naruto said, his voice having an odd tone.

"Sigh," the giant turtle-shaped chakra said. "I wake up from what had been a decade-long nightmare and what I see is your whiskered ass smiling at me. Not a good wake-up call - only someone as brilliantly insane as you can come up with the name Kame-san for me."

"Sorry if I woke you up on the wrong side of the bed," 'Naruto' replied. "But... I've got some questions. Your chakra was unnaturally bloodthirsty - weren't you supposed to be like the flowing water, the angry wave, the slow rise of the flood?"

"You're one to talk - out of all of us, you were the first to get put under by that damned eye trick... Kyuubi."

"Hey, I resemble that remark," the Kyuubi answered, feigning indignation. "But really, you were also... influenced?"

"Not directly, no. What you and your boy need to know is... nah, maybe I should just let you find it out yourself."

"Hey, don't be like that, Kyodaigame-sama."

"Oh, and you suddenly call me by my pet name, do you?" the turtle said, smiling slyly. "Fine, I'll give you something to go on. Someone who says he was an 'adjutant' of some group he was ordered to assemble sank his teeth into this poor fellow. Did all sorts of unsavory things to this place, along with some guy with one red left eye and plenty of damn others grafted on his arm."

"What happened to him?"

"Dunno, he left around two years ago. Said they had found more reliable targets."

"What kind of targets?"

"Hell if I know, even my own memory's suspect as that stupid eye trick was starting to get to me!" the turtle roared. "Now that's all the time we have for today, as I can see your host is starting to shake. Chew on that for awhile, I need to go jump in a lake."

The Kyuubi nodded before raising his hand in farewell. "See you around, Sanbi. And watch your back."

"Likewise, Kyuubi."

And with that, the large turtle walked off from a hole in the wall and out of the palace, towards Kami-knows-where...

Naruto blinked.

"Was that what I thought it was?" he asked no one in particular.

**_We have a long way to go now. We underestimated the price completing the seal would take on your physiology._**

_What do you mean?_

**_It means, quoting my colleague, it looks like you need more training._**

Training... huh? I can handle that.

Naruto gave the now-dead Mizukage a strange look before he ambled towards where he guessed Precia-sensei and Terumi-sama took the other Konoha jonin.

* * *

Mission accomplished.

Not really, because Sieghart never got the name of the TSAB agent responsible for this leak.

Nevertheless, they had stopped the flow of artifacts and technology to the Elemental Countries for the time being.

Sieghart wrote down his report, getting all the facts straight up, and gave his team a recommendation for exemplary service.

He procured a Storage Device one of the smugglers was using, and with it, the gentle giant Jugo retained his wits even as his powers were flaring.

A storage seal for water for Suigetsu...

...and several "deep-cover infiltration" sets for Karin, which got the three of them slapped by the fiery redhead.

But even if they did indeed get slapped, Karin still took the gear. Leather go-go boots were considered a luxury item in the Elemental Countries, after all... but she'd have to find a way to explain those bunny ears to everyone in Sound without losing her dignity.

The fishnet stockings were another deal entirely.

Soon after they began their journey back to Otogakure, Sieghart received one of the strangest requests from Orochimaru.

**"Sieghart.**

**Return to Oto ASAP.**

**Development regarding a genin named Tsuchi Kin.**

**Some sort of Device has been unlocked and only she can use it.**

**Orochimaru"**

**

* * *

**Uzumaki Naruto had reported for his share in the most recent mission, packed his bags, said his goodbyes to his friends and then his guardian and oneechan (who were going on their own training trip), and finally walked towards the gates of Konoha.

"Ready?" Jiraiya asked.

"As I'll ever be," Naruto answered.

As they slowly walked along the beaten path away from Konoha, Jiraiya could no longer contain his curiosity. "Naruto, before this mission, you were having second thoughts about being my apprentice and going on this trip. Why the sudden change?"

Naruto smiled. "I've had four years of education as a ninja, but since having Reynard I've been thinking more as a Knight than as a ninja. Traveling with you might help me find a balance."

"Yes, and I'll be teaching you a lot of things too. After all... I'm your godf-er..."

"Relax, Jiraiya-sensei. I already know."

"Really? What do you know?"

"I have to get stronger. Tou-san and Kaa-san told me that there are even worse things out there than the Tailed Beasts..."

"Well, you're with a Sannin right now. A cut above the rest. You're in great hands."

Naruto smiled at his godfather. "Yeah."

Uzumaki Naruto left Konoha for three years to further refine his art through the tutelage of the Toad Sage Jiraiya.

Little did he know that even before the three years would end, that the world of ninja would be plunged into a nightmare abyss, an abyss that spanned worlds and universes...

...but despite that, one thing is for sure. With the love of his family, his friends, rivals, and others, Uzumaki Naruto would end up playing one of the most important roles in the paradigm shift of the ninja world.

**NARUTO: ARCANE HEART**

**CHAPTER 30**

**THE END**

**

* * *

a/n:** And... ... ...that's a wrap, everybody!

Thank you for the views, reviews, votes, but this isn't the end of the Naruto: Arcane Heart saga!

A "Supplementary Material" chapter will follow, containing tidbits and information that I may have overlooked while writing down this story.

Feel free to visit the Q&A thread, as I will feature some of your more compelling questions, dear readers.

To Follow:

Naruto: Twin Fates A stray piece of documentation leads the TSAB to a strange new world. What they expected was a routine arrest. What they got was an adventure of a lifetime.

[note 1: think of a Tauren from the Warcraft Universe.]  
[note 2: I'm using the names of the PH version of Grand Chase. In the versions from other countries, his name would be Samsara, the God of Cycles. In future chapters, all names will be taken from the Philippine version of GC.]  
[note 3: I was trying to go for Kururugi Suzaku's entrance as the "Knight of Zero" in Code Geass R2.]

**_OBLIGATORY OMAKE_**

The Kyuubi nodded. "Somehow, with that technique he used, he made me whole again... the cloud of rage over my eyes was... gone. I could carry on my responsibilities in keeping the monster's chakra within me, even as I was sealed within you."

Naruto's grip on his kunai loosened. "Sup, fox, so I heard you like jinchuriki, so I put a jinchuriki in your jinchuriki so you can bijuu while you bijuu."

It took one day for the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox to break out of Naruto's body, gather all of the cursed chakra and raze the Elemental Countries to the ground in a fit of rage because of his jinchuriki's careless jibe.


	32. List of Related Readings

_disclaimer:_ Naruto, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, and Grand Chase are not mine.

* * *

Howdy, folks.

This is what you can consider as the postscript to "Naruto: Arcane Heart". Here you'll find a lot of stuff I may have glossed over; consider it something to prepare you for "Twin Fates".

Read on and enjoy.

By the way, feel free to check back to this story every now and then, as I'll be adding scenes and doing some editing if this story gets blessed by a beta reader.

* * *

_**BONUS CHAPTER: Glossaries, Q&A and Related Material**_

**Table of Contents:**

_1. Bingo Book Entries_  
a. Uzumaki Naruto  
b. Precia Testarossa  
c. Alicia Testarossa  
d. Uchiha Sasuke  
e. Sieghart

_2. Device Glossary_  
a. Device Designation AV-448L Reynard  
i. Unison Device Designation AV-448R Reynardine  
b. Device Designation MC-772R Siegfried  
c. Device Designation MC-776E Hrist  
d. Device Designation AV-444L Nova

_3. List of Original Techniques_

_4. ?_

* * *

**1. BINGO BOOK ENTRIES**

* * *

_**Bingo Book Entry #K-44568**_  
Name: Uzumaki Naruto  
Affiliation: Konohagakure  
Rank: Chunin [1]  
Elemental Affinity: Wind and/or Water [2]  
Current Team: Apprenticed to Jiraiya the Toad Sage

_Profile:_  
A proficient hand-to-hand fighter. Seems to rely more on speed than power. Massive chakra reserves allow him to use Taijuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu at will. Inventive and imaginative command of the battlefield. Apprenticed to Jiraiya of the Sannin, which means his fuinjutsu skills will be reckoned with sometime in the future.

_Known Ninja Techniques Used:_  
(Taijuu) (Fuuton?) (Suiton?) Kage Bunshin no Jutsu  
Bunshin Daibakuha (rumored)  
Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Toads [3])  
Daitoppa no Jutsu  
Teppodama no Jutsu  
Suiryudan no Jutsu  
Rasengan (Several unknown variants)  
Several unknown chakra(?)based attacks

_Known Feats:_  
Documentation recovered from Konohagakure reveals that he has forced S-rank missing-nin Orochimaru to retreat twice in battle.  
Has defeated the jinchuriki of Suna Gaara while teamed up with fellow Leaf-nin Alicia Testarossa [4].  
Broke the record (previous holder was Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage) for number of enemy-nin killed in a single engagement during the failed attack on Konoha by Ame [3].  
Rumored to have supported the Bloodline Rebellion in Kirigakure that enabled Terumi Mei to become the Godaime Mizukage.  
Also rumored to have actually defeated the Yondaime Mizukage in combat (a jinchuriki), but this has not been confirmed.  
Possesses other unknown abilities; eyewitness accounts have a strange light-blue triangle of light appear under him whenever he uses these abilities. Eyewitnesses also confirm that his outfit transforms as well. Some eyewitnesses have seen that the triangle has circles on its three ends, though this has not been confirmed.

_Current Location: _Unknown - last reliable source says that he is currently on a training trip with the Toad Sage Jiraiya.

**BINGO RANK: **A

[1] This was the rank given him by Konoha, but might change in the near future.  
[2] Based on eyewitness accounts and interviewed nin who have encountered him in battle.  
[3] Based on eyewitness accounts and Konoha documentation.  
[4] Recently confirmed.

* * *

_**Bingo Book Entry #K-44330**_  
Name: Precia Testarossa  
Affiliation: Konohagakure  
Rank: Jonin  
Elemental Affinity: Lightning

_Profile:_  
The "Lightning Goddess of the Leaf" earns her name with fearsome lightning-element attacks, unorthodox sword skills and an unknown ability that allows her to become a whirling storm of death. The four years that she has served as a Jonin of the Leaf have been marked with achievements which echo back to the time of the legendary heroes of Konoha: the God of Shinobi, the Legendary Sannin, the White Fang, etc.

_Known Ninja Techniques Used:_  
(Raiton) Kage Bunshin no Jutsu  
Raiton: Raioh no Tama  
Rairyudan no Jutsu  
Kairyushin no Jutsu  
Chidori [1]  
Rasengan [1]  
Several unknown chakra(?)based attacks

_Known Feats:_  
Rumored to have successfully assassinated Shimura Danzou, the leader of Konoha's underground ROOT. This has not been confirmed.  
Also rumored to have engaged missing-nin and rumored Akatsuki member Hoshigaki Kisame in combat, forcing the latter to retreat.  
Rumored to have supported the Bloodline Rebellion in Kirigakure that enabled Terumi Mei to become the Godaime Mizukage.  
Rumored to have assisted several of Konoha's jonin in refining and improving their techniques.  
Currently teaching in the Konoha Ninja Academy [2] in between missions.  
Is the current guardian of Uzumaki Naruto [2].  
Jonin-sensei of Uzumaki Naruto, Momochi Haku, and Sai before the disappearance of the latter.

_Current Location: _Has just finished a training trip with her daughter Alicia to presumably prepare her for the upcoming jonin exams in Konoha.

**BINGO RANK: **S

[1] Rumor unconfirmed.  
[2] Based on Konoha documentation.

* * *

_**Bingo Book Entry #K-44569**_  
Name: Alicia Testarossa  
Affiliation: Konohagakure  
Rank: Special Jonin (Unknown specialty)  
Elemental Affinity: Lightning

_Profile:_  
Uses blinding speed to cut through opponent's ranks. Rumored to have swordsmanship skills that match that of Kimimaro Kaguya. Possesses several unknown and undocumented abilities.

_Known Ninja Techniques Used:_  
(Raiton) Kage Bunshin no Jutsu  
Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Unknown creature)  
Several unknown chakra(?) based attacks  
Several unknown weapon techniques

_Known Feats:_  
Has defeated the jinchuriki of Suna Gaara while teamed up with fellow Leaf-nin Uzumaki Naruto [1].  
One of several ninja responsible for stopping Ame's invasion during the second failed attack on Konoha.  
Rumored to have supported the Bloodline Rebellion in Kirigakure that enabled Terumi Mei to become the Godaime Mizukage.  
Possesses other unknown abilities; eyewitness accounts have a strange blue circle of light appear under her whenever she uses these abilities.  
Eyewitnesses also confirm that her outfit transforms as well.

_Current Location: _In Konoha, preparing for the jonin exams.

**BINGO RANK: **B

[1] Based on eyewitness accounts and Konoha documents.

* * *

_**Bingo Book Entry #K-45779**_  
Name: Uchiha Sasuke  
Affiliation: Konohagakure  
Rank: Special Jonin (Ninjutsu Spec) [1]  
Elemental Affinity: Fire and/or Lightning [2]  
Current Team: Team 7

_Profile:_  
Last of the Uchiha loyal to Konoha. Possesses a startling mastery of the clan dojutsu, the Sharingan. While on paper a Ninjutsu-specialist, does excellently on all other fields of ninja expertise, too.

_Known Ninja Techniques Used:_  
Chidori (Several unconfirmed variants)  
Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu  
Katon: Karyuu Endan  
Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu  
Katon: Housenka no Jutsu  
Magen: Koshuu Kioku  
Several unknown Genjutsu and fire-based ninjutsu

_Known Feats:_  
Part of the infamous Team 7 that had passed the Chunin Exam as a team (a feat that has not been achieved since the famous Sannin of Konoha). [1]  
Apprentice to Hatake Kakashi, the famous Copy-Nin.  
Has successfully completed one six-month term in ANBU with Team 7. [2] (Team 7 had also passed for ANBU in the same test, and took the same 6-month term together in one squad, under presumably Hatake Kakashi.[3])

_Current Location: _In Konoha, preparing for the jonin exams.

**BINGO RANK: **B

[1] Documentation available.  
[2] Based off Konoha documentation.  
[3] Unconfirmed.

* * *

_**Bingo Book Entry #O-77912**_  
Name: Sieghart  
Affiliation: Otogakure  
Rank: Unknown (assumed to be jonin or above)  
Elemental Affinity: Unknown  
Current Team: Mentor to Tsuchi Kin

_Profile:_  
The self-proclaimed "Immortal Highlander": based on recent feats may probably be the strongest pure combat-spec nin in the Elemental Countries. Exceptional combat skill. May use ink-based summoning techniques, but most of the time will simply charge head-on into the battle and start killing things with abandon. Exceptional information-gathering skills, even in the heat of battle.

_Known Ninja Techniques Used:_  
Musou Tensei  
Ninpou: Choju Giga  
Several unknown chakra-based and weapon-based attacks

_Known Feats:_  
Took an instrumental role in the purging of the Jashin cults in the Land of Rice Paddies.  
Rumored to have been the go-between in orchestrating a non-aggression pact between Otogakure, Kusagakure and Konohagakure.

_Current Location: _In Otogakure, assisting his apprentice for her Special Jonin trials.

**BINGO RANK: **SSS (Under no circumstances should you ever attempt to engage this target.)

* * *

**2. DEVICE GLOSSARY**

* * *

The Device Form system used by the "Tome of the Midlight's Deep" (aka the Grand Chase) is innovative, to the point where limiters are not needed. Each of the Device's Forms are accessible when its wielder hits a certain level of mastery or acquires a skill that facilitates the Form Change. The Mastery Form is analogous to any other Device's Full Drive Form, and allows both Device and knight to synergize completely.

a. _**Device Designation AV-448L Reynard **_(An Ancient Velka-type high-mobility assault and stealth-based Armed Device. The soul of the Guildmaster of the Silver Cross Assassins' Guild - Lass - is sealed within it.)

**Global Spell List:**  
Flash Move - A basic space-time support spell that allows near-instantaneous movement to a location up to several meters away.  
Flight - Self-explanatory...  
Shadow Cloak - Low-rank illusion spell that obscures features at worst and renders the caster invisible at best.  
Shadow Move - Low- to medium-rank enhancement spell that improves the caster's reaction time and movement speed by a small degree.

* * *

_Dagger Form _- Specializes in Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. Reynard's Basic Form. Use of scroll traps, chakra kunai and easier access to elemental techniques due to Device-aided processing. Balanced in melee and ranged combat.

_Sub-forms:_  
Chaser Aspect: allows insta-cast Thunder Slash and access to the Final Strike Chaser spell.  
Thunder Dragon Aspect: Currently locked.  
Illusion Dragon Aspect: Currently locked.

_Spell List:_  
Thunder Slash - Attack-type, D-rank. A wave of energy bursts forth from a swing of the dagger/s. Can be configured by the user to provide explosive, blunt, or cutting damage. Low range (only effective up to 5 meters away).  
Spiral Burst - Attack-type, C-rank. A quick-cast Spell variant of the Ninjutsu technique Rasengan. Two slashes followed up by a low-powered sphere of spinning mana. Point-blank range. (Double Slash)  
Blitz Move - Support-type. A spell reverse-engineered from the Kawarimi no Jutsu. Executes a Flash Move when target is hit. Has continuous mana upkeep. (Kage Bunshin)  
Bloody Dagger (Prototype) - The predecessor to the Bloody Dagger skill only creates the mana knives. It is up to the user to throw these knives or use them for some other purpose. (Exploding Scroll)

Fatal Tempest - Decline-type, C-rank. A pulse of mana fired directly from the dagger, disrupting opponent's nerve impulses and chakra coils. (Fatal Fury Tempest / Evil Attack)  
Blood Tempest - Decline-type, C-rank. A pulse of chakra fired directly from the dagger, preventing the target from regenerating with chakra internally or medical chakra being inserted into the target. (Blood Bash)  
Weaponbreaker - Decline-type, C-rank. A pulse of mana fired directly from the dagger, scrambling an opponent's coordination. (Disarm)  
Spinning Squall - Attack-type, C-rank. A mana-based fuuma shuriken is used either as a throwing weapon or a melee weapon.  
Shadow Impact - Attack-type, B-rank. Flash Move is used in tandem with several rapid attacks before releasing a mana-based explosion. (Shadow Stranger)

Final Strike Chaser - Bombardment-type, A-rank. A consecutive Thunder Slash attack. The waves of energy cut all in its path and explode on impact. Variable range.  
Lightning Caller - Attack-type, B-rank. An enchanted kunai is thrown, causing a localized mana-based static charge in its wake. (Thunder Slice)  
Raven Walker - Bombardment-type, S-rank. A custom technique that operates in two phases. The first phase is when the user spins and launches Bloody Dagger-based kunai in a radial pattern, the second phase comes when the embedded kunai detonate.

* * *

_Scimitar Form _- Fuinjutsu specialty. Reynard's Sealing Form. Spell specialty are Binds. Some kenjutsu-related Attack Spells. Chakra kunai is retained, but not as powerful as in Dagger Form. Chain on off-hand is an upgraded chakra-restraining chain bind, not unlike Uzumaki Kushina's specialty.

_Spell List:_  
Dancing Strike - Three attacks delivered near-instantaneously: a sweeping attack, a sideways slash and an overhead strike. (Frenzy Sword)  
Splash Explosion - The chakra-restraining chains are deployed to either grip or bludgeon a target object or enemy.  
Deadly Scrape - A powerful wave of mana bursts forth, taking the shape of the caster's silhouette. It disrupts next to everything in its path. (Deadly Sharp)  
Dispelling Yoke - Capture-type, basic Binding spell. Constrains targets with mana-based chains.  
Strangling Yoke - Capture-type, advanced Binding spell. Constrains and disrupts targets with a combination of the mana-based and the Uzumaki clan's chakra-based chains. Effect depends on the target: the stronger the chakra or mana reserves of the target, the more potent this technique is. Sealing functions can be used to dismiss summons, disrupt techniques, or to hold the target down. Consumes a lot of mana unless the caster has exceptional control.  
Chain Buckler - Defense-type Barrier spell. Low operating radius, but high resistance to damage.  
Chain Crush - Defense-type Field spell. The mechanics of Chain Buckler can allow the caster to block powerful attacks in melee range and counter with a slash or two from the Device.

* * *

_Cypher Form _- Taijutsu and long-range attack specialty. Reynard's Shooting Form. Fires mana in blasts. This form can use Spiral Buster Cannon, an attack created by combining a sustained blast of mana with the "spiraling" feature of Naruto's trademark Rasengan. Has only one melee-related Attack Spell - nearly all techniques are restricted to medium-to-long-range assault. The Cypher Form passively improves Naruto's reaction time, movement speed and hand-to-hand combat ability to cover its lack of melee and short-range Spells.

_Spell List:_  
Spiral Blaster - A high-powered mana projectile fired at the opponent. Tends to curve towards its target, but due to Naruto's unique chakra/mana control issues has limited homing capabilities.  
Hell Scrape - Cypher Mode's only Melee-range spell. A consecutive series of strikes with the bladed end of the Device.  
Spiral Cannon - A sphere of spinning mana fired at a target. Functionally similar to Naruto's Taihou Rasengan ninjutsu technique.  
Spiral Buster - A beam of mana fired at a target.  
Spiral Buster Cannon - Cypher Form's strongest attack: a combination of Taihou Rasengan and Spiral Buster.  
Blade Buckler - A small-area defensive and counterattacking spell.

Reynard's Mastery Form is currently mode-locked barring the acquisition of several still-unidentified skills.

* * *

i. _**Unison Device Designation AV-448R Reynardine**_

An Ancient Velka-type Unison Device. Any data beyond that is unknown, aside from its newly-acquired Serial number.

**Conjectured global Spell List:**  
Flight  
Flash Move  
Blitz Move

* * *

b. _**Device Designation MC-772R Siegfried**_  
A Mid-Childa type melee and support Intelligent Device. The soul of the Scion of Erudon, Ronan, is sealed within it.

**Global Spell List:**  
Flash Move  
Flight  
Sonic Form - Diverts all available resources to speed and power, ignoring own defense.  
True Sonic Form - Diverts 90% of all available resources to speed and power. 10% is left as defense.  
Eyes of Erudon - Siegfried's defensive protocols allow the Barrier Jacket to absorb damage and regenerate itself when hit with a certain number of ranged attacks.

* * *

_Spellblade Mode_ - Siegfried's Base Mode. Balanced offense, defense and support spells.

_Passive Bonus: _Lore of Legends - All Spells are forward-compatible. (i.e. Glaive Mode can use Spellblade Spells, but not Aegis Spells)

_Spell List:_  
Ragna Bolt - Default unidirectional mana-based projectile. Tends to stun targets.  
Ragna Bolt: Omnilink Shift - Upgraded massive-area firing of Ragna Bolt. Uses up two cartridges.  
Rune Spiral: Mana contained in a magic circle and made to coat the spellblade as it thrusts forward.  
Giga Crash - Several sword strikes that set up one or more mana-based peripheries. The last hit can cause the periphery to erupt in a surprise area-of-effect attack that can also ricochet between other set peripheries.  
Kanavan Strike - Summons a magic circle to create a multitude of unidirectional mana-based blades that inflict massive damage.  
Kanavan Strike: Pentacle Shift - Reverses Kanavan Strike's orientation, with the summoned blades converging towards a smaller area of effect.  
Sacred Strength - Improves damage aptitude of the caster and nearby designated allies.  
Dark Shroud - Semi-illusory technique that blurs allies, increasing their combat effectiveness.  
Wind Fist - Conjures up a fist of wind to strike the target.  
Paralyze - Releases a pulse of energy that stuns anyone caught in the radius. Oddly, this spell works by "hardening" the targets' chakra coils.  
Blast Bomb - Summons a shaped mana charge, causing it to inflict heat and mana-based damage as it passes through. Upon impact, its remnants retain the same potency for some time.  
Lunatic Force - A compact ball of ice-element mana that freezes targets on contact.

* * *

_Glaive Mode_ - Siegfried's Support Mode. Long slashing and stabbing range to make up for limited attack-based Spells. Abilities increase when synergized with Dragons.

_Passive Bonus: _Upgraded Dragon Summoning Contract - If one has the means to summon a Dragon-type creature, the summoner will instead summon a Brood-class Dragon-type creature for the same amount of energy expended for the summoning technique.

_Spell List:_  
Infinity Sword - A Flash Move-enhanced glaive attack that hits high and sweeps low.  
Glaive Tempest - Uses the glaive's circular momentum to execute a spinning attack that releases a stored pulse of energy.  
Lodestar Chaser - A glaive attack that projects bolts of energy from the ground as both a surprise attack and as a frontal area-of-effect spell.  
Divine Fortitude - Improves the natural healing and poison resistance of both the caster and nearby allies.  
Spell of Ruin - Semi-binding spell. Does damage while affixing a foe to the spot the rune was cast. Low range and damage, but does restrict the target's mobility.  
Chaos Breath - (Only usable when a Brood-class is currently summoned.) Summons a Tiamat Brood to scorch the battlefield with an energy-based breath attack.

* * *

_Aegis Mode _- Siegfried's Defense Mode. Spells lean more towards defense and counterattacking. Also unlocks the hidden potential of other spells via the Rune System.

_Passive Bonus: _Rune Inscription - Runes can be carved into cartridges by the spell "Rune Charge". These Runes can increase the capabilities of a spell as it is used. This is Siegfried's only ability that is backward-compatible with earlier forms.

_Spell List:_  
Flash Rush - Four quick slashes. Breaks enemy guard and Protection spells.  
Shockwave Raid - A slash combined with a powerful pulse of energy, followed up by several more timed slashes in the air, as the pulse sends targets upward. The sword absorbs the excess mana of the pulse as it slashes, increasing its power.  
Blame Buster - A powered-up Rune Spiral. When loaded with 2 or more runes, ignores defenses.  
Rune Charge - Inscribes a powerful Rune onto a full Cartridge. Loading this Cartridge for a Spell drastically improves its potency.  
Aegis Spirit - Improves the defensive capabilities of allies in a larger range than Divine Fortitude and Sacred Strength.  
Aura Strike - (Only usable when a Brood-class is currently summoned.) Summons a Myrmidon-type Brood to attack with a powerful melee strike. The dragon summoned then releases a radial burst of mana that disrupts and damages enemies.

Siegfried's Mastery Mode is currently mode-locked barring the acquisition of several still-unidentified skills.

* * *

c. _**Device Designation MC-776E Hrist**_  
A Mid-Childa type defensive melee Intelligent Device. The soul of the Red Knight Prodigy, Elesis, is sealed within it.

**Global Spell List:**  
Flight  
Flash Move  
Hien - Hrist's combat philosophy involves speed, to the extent that consecutive use of Flash Move is allowed, depending on the user's mana reserves and control.  
Tsubame Gaeshi - An advanced combat maneuver of attacking while advancing and retreating. Flash Move is available to use at higher levels of mastering this skill.  
Sonic Form - Diverting all available resources to speed and power, ignoring own defense.

* * *

_Knight Sword Mode _- Hrist's Base Mode. Balanced abilities, all around. Fastest Hien.

_Passive Bonus: _Iron Fortitude - Limits flinching. Also lowers damage from Range-class attacks by a significant percentage.

_Spell List:_  
Berserker Soul - Absorbs excess mana generated in a battle and redirects it to the user's Barrier Jacket to increase defensive capabilities. In Sonic Form, it is redirected to the weapon.  
Swordflame - A wave of energy projected by a swing of the sword.  
Arc Buster - An explosive wave thrown in midair after an upward slash.  
Meteor Buster - Multiple exploding projectiles thrown in midair.  
Blast Charge - Imbues a target with volatile mana, resulting in the target going up in a large area-of-effect explosion.

* * *

_Spear Mode _- Hrist's Defense Mode. Slowest Hien, but the flowing attack patterns and passive-aggressive fighting style more than make up for it.

_Spell List:_  
Arc Lance - A heavy swing that stuns and throws opponents, allowing the caster to follow up with another attack more easily.  
Twisting Reverse - Uses the spear's rotation to push or pull a foe with momentum.  
Red Dragon Technique - A massive piercing wave of energy thrown from the spear, not unlike a red dragon.

* * *

_Greatsword Mode _- Hrist's Attack Mode. Second-slowest Hien, but attack range is greatly increased.

_Spell List:_  
Armorbreaker - A heavy attack that is meant against fortified targets. This blow does greater damage depending on the target's defenses.  
Blade Beam - Three consecutive waves of energy that strike in up to three directions of the caster's choosing.  
Falling Cherry Blossoms - A double-movement charged attack: the first movement throws waves of energy that stun the target and set it up for the second movement: a mana-powered downward strike that finishes the job.

* * *

_Savior Mode _- Hrist's Mastery Mode. Second-fastest Hien. Contains upgraded versions of all the Attack Spells of all previous Forms.

_Passive Bonus: _Sword of Destiny - Lowers mana requirements for spells by a significant percentage.

_Spell List:_  
Chaos Savior: Enchants the twin Savior Knightswords with enough mana that for a limited time, each swing of the swords will produce a Swordflame. Consumes 3 cartridges.  
Fated Circle: A radial attack with the twin swords that looks like a spinning wheel of flame. Consumes 1 cartridge.  
Sonic Vision: Greatly increases the destructive power of basic attacks for a limited time. Consumes 2 cartridges.  
Laser Silhouette: While this spell is active, the twin Savior Knightswords can absorb and store elemental attacks for later use. When used offensively releases a more focused version of the Swordflame.  
Magnum Fang: A focused version of Fated Circle on a single target. Consumes 1 cartridge.

* * *

d. _**Device Designation AV-444L Nova**_  
An Ancient Velka-type long-range Armed Device. The soul of Lire, the Light of Eryuell, is sealed within it.

**Global Spell List:**  
Flight  
Flash Move  
Blitz Move  
Eagle Eye - Improves visual acuity and sight range of the caster, but consumes mana as it is used.  
Starlight Catcher - Increases user's mana reserves for a limited time by gathering unused and latent mana from the caster's surroundings.  
Starbow Break - Increases user's reflexes for a limited time, allowing them a greater rate of arrow firing or movement.

* * *

_Bow Form _- Nova's Base Form. Again, just like the other Devices, the base form is the most balanced of the Device forms, and can fulfill many combat roles.

_Spell List:_  
Tornado Swing - A sudden burst of mana coating the bow can ward off melee attackers.  
Arrow Raid - A flurry of mana-based arrows fired upward. After converging, they fire back down to the ground.  
Elven Flanger - A burst of explosive mana fired as arrows.  
Spiralshot - A flurry of arrows fired in a circular, spiraling manner.  
Stardust Ray - A powerful burst of energy arrows fired from above.

* * *

_Crossbow Form _- Nova's Glide Form. An emphasis on maneuverability in exchange for slightly less range and firepower. Nova becomes two gun-like small crossbows when taking on this form.

_Passive Bonus: _Mirage Dance - Allows the user to fire shots while in Flash Move or Blitz Move.

_Spell List:_  
Rapid Fire - Allows lower-power bolts to be fired with much greater frequency.  
Disruptor Shot - Bolts fired can hamper enemy movement by detonating and inflicting damage to chakra centers or mana channels.  
Cluster Charge - A chunk of mana left in an area as a trap. Can be detonated by a bolt or by mental command (the latter has less explosive power).  
Shootdodge - Gives the caster enough focus that time seems to slow down greatly in one movement.

* * *

_Greatbow Form _- Nova's Power Form. Less maneuverability in exchange for greatly improved firepower.

_Passive Bonus: _Crescent Smasher - The bow and arrows of this Form can be used as melee weapons.

_Spell List:_  
Hyper Shot - A high-penetration focused arrow strike that goes through nearly everything.  
Crescent Tempest - A consecutive spinning attack using the bow.  
Eryuell's Calamity - A mass of high-explosive arrows fired into the air, going through targets before detonating upon impact with the ground.

* * *

_Composite Form _- Nova's Mastery Form. A synergy of all three previous Forms. Balanced attack and defense, and improved Spell technique. This Form contains all the previous three Forms' Spells as its passive bonus.

_Spell List:_  
Elven Edge - The Composite Form can be disassembled to form two Elven Edges. These are melee weapons that are configured with storage seals, allowing the caster access to many other techniques, depending on his/her mastery of weapons.

* * *

**3. LIST OF ORIGINAL TECHNIQUES**

_Chidori Senkou_ (Thousand Birds' Flash) – Just like the normal Chidori in canon, except the lightning chakra is kept in small amounts within the tenketsu lining the arm via the hand seal sequence. Just before contact, the final mental command is given, and all the lightning-element chakra comes rushing into the forefront, constrained within the small chakra matrix made by actually molding some chakra into a framework that will not only save chakra use but also serve as a reserve – the framework will fire any residual lightning chakra should the technique be countered or interrupted. A-rank in theory, but B-rank in application.

_Tsuuga Senkou_ (Piercing Fang Flash) - Inuzuka Kiba's Chidori Senkou variant. When Tsuuga and Chidori are combined, the result is an extremely penetrative attack that can rival even the Raikiri itself. A-Rank.

_Kairyushin no Jutsu_ (Sea Dragon God Technique) – Another Raiton jutsu, this is merely lacing a kusari-gama with lightning-element chakra. A higher level of this exists, where mere lightning chakra can be manipulated like a whip. With weapon – C-rank; without weapon – B-rank. Can be an A-rank assassination jutsu if the line of chakra is concentrated enough to be nearly invisible as ninja wire (think Johnny Mnemonic's molecuwire weapon).

_Sakura Fubuki no Jutsu_ (Cherry Blossom Blizzard Technique) – Haruno Sakura's original ninjutsu: a shower of small (think 1 square centimeter) explosive tags, best used as cover for a larger technique or to create a getaway and hopefully damage the opponent. When used in conjunction with other ninja tools (i.e. senbon), has potentially devastating effects. D-rank, potential C-rank if used with other ninja tools or weapons. (Note: This isn't the technique Sakura used in the movie.)

_Raioh no Tama_ (Orb of the Thunder King) – This jutsu is nothing more than a simple ball of lightning-element chakra propelled towards a foe. Its rank depends on its size, with larger balls corresponding to higher rank. High D- to low B-rank.

_Taihou Rasengan_ (Great Cannon Spiraling Sphere) - A ranged-attack variant of the Rasengan, where it is fired by a burst of chakra from the wrist. Limited range, but can go up to 10 meters forward. High A- to low S-Rank.

_Rasenhou_ (Spiraling Cannon) - Prototype technique to the Taihou Rasengan. A-Rank.

_Bunshin Daisenkou_ (Clone Great Flash) - A chakra-flare variant of the Bunshin Daibakuha. Causes the clone to dispel in a large outward flare of chakra, disrupting genjutsu, disorienting summoned creatures, and momentarily tampering with the chakra control and nullifying space-time techniques of those caught in the chakra flare. B-Rank.

_Bunshin Bakuha_ (Clone Explosion) - A weaker version of the Bunshin Daibakuha. Though the explosion is much weaker, it leaves behind a fraction of the chakra used in creating the clone.

_Chidori Jishakudan_ (Thousand Birds' Magnetic Bullet) - A ranged-attack variant of the Chidori. By manipulating the polarity of his tenketsu, Sasuke can use the Chidori as a small but powerful projectile of immense penetrative capacity, much like the railgun he named this jutsu after. A-Rank.

_Enton: Kokuryuuka no Jutsu _(Blaze Release: Black Dragon Fire Technique) - The first of Uchiha Sasuke's techniques based upon the dark fires of Amaterasu. (Note: The technique name is actually a misnomer of sorts: this technique resembles Katon: Karyuu Endan more than Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu.) The user summons the black flames of Amaterasu and molds it into the shape of a dragon. The degree of concentration and willpower this technique requires is even greater than the Karyuu Endan. Shaping the black flames condenses it and gives it much more destructive power than merely summoning Amaterasu. A-Rank.

_Enton: Kagutsuchi no Te _(Blaze Release: Hand of Kagu-Tsuchi) - Uchiha Sasuke's second Amaterasu-based technique. Endows an ally with the black flames of Amaterasu, powering up their techniques. A-Rank.

_Magen: Koshuu Kioku _(Demonic Illusion: Persistence of Memory) - Uchiha Sasuke's original Tsukuyomi-based technique. Details are ANBU-classified, but what little is known about this technique is that it somehow involves reading a target's memories and basing the illusion on them. Unranked.

_Musou Tensei _(Void Rebirth) - More a code word than an actual technique, this is Sieghart's activation code for unleashing his combat aura.

_Kuchiyose: Ura Edo Tensei _(Summoning: Reversed Impure World Resurrection) - Details are currently classified. More a fuinjutsu-based technique than a summoning ninjutsu, this kinjutsu is rumored to "reconnect the silver strand between body and soul". Whether this does so or not has not been confirmed, and neither is the means by which this can be done.

* * *

**TIME-SPACE ADMINISTRATION BUREAU**

* * *

**CONFIDENTIAL REPORT - SECURITY CLEARANCE LEVEL SSS**

* * *

**WARNING: THIS DOCUMENT IS TIME-LOCKED TO BE ACCESSIBLE TO RECIPIENT AFTER 400 DAYS. ANY ATTEMPT TO ACCESS THIS DATA WILL RESULT IN POSSIBLE TSAB PROSECUTION.**

* * *

**Abstract of TSAB Directive 11-2309A**

Admiral Chrono Harlaown:

As of 0075-12-29, the S-Class Lost Logia "The Tome of Midlight's Deep" is confirmed to have been awakened. Its location has been set somewhere in Unadministered World 458-2C. Magical trace also show that its Guardian Knight System has been activated.

ADDENDUM (0076-01-02): Magical signatures have a successful match in a prior case. The magical residue of 9 Jewel Seeds have been confirmed on World 458-2C. Retrieval of these Lost Logia artifacts must commence immediately.

ADDENDUM (0076-01-07): Sighting confirmed - Known TSAB fugitive Precia Testarossa has been found alive in Unadministered World 458-2C.

ADDENDUM (0076-01-15): A Unison Device has been reported to have been created and registered in our data banks: registration code is a positive link to the S-Class Lost Logia "The Tome of Midlight's Deep": Registration number is AV-448R "Reynardine" (cross-reference to AV-448L "Reynard"). Consider the wielder of this Unison Device to be an SS-level threat and respond accordingly.

re: TSAB Directive 11-2309B - Authority of this Directive is SSS-Level, and overwrites any prior and future Directives related to the disbanding of Mobile Assault Force 6.

It is recommended that Mobile Assault Force 6 be the one to investigate Unadministered World 458-2C on A STRICT NEED-TO-KNOW BASIS. Appropriate documentation is available on how these developments can compromise the competence of our operatives (re: one Takamachi Nanoha or Fate T. Harlaown).

Likewise, documentation giving you authority over the Asura-class warship "Eden" will been given when this Operation is initiated, as is immediate - though limited - jurisdiction over any and every possible development.

It is imperative that this operation commence with enough speed that the higher-ups of the Bureau lower the mission rank upon completion, hence the necessity of deploying a force such as Mobile Assault Force 6.

Further reading and informant reports with contact data can be found in your confidential file, under my name, should you wish to proceed with this operation. But be warned, it is a potentially greater political and security risk for this matter to reach other members of the TSAB. Still, the decision is in your hands, and a speedy resolution of this conflict will be beneficial to all parties concerned.

Good luck... and may the Sankt-Kaiser watch over us.

Admiral Lindy Harlaown  
c.c. Admiral Gil Graham


	33. Author's Note

'Sup.

So I decided to try doing massive revisions on this story, and as it turns out, I have ten or eleven chapters' worth of fixing to be done.

(If you must know, the chapters to be revised are Chapters 1-8, 10 and 31.)

I plan on releasing the revised versions in one go, so do check back here when this chapter is at last changed, replaced with Chapter 32, or removed entirely.

If you guys have anything at all that could help make this a much better story, do contact me with your ideas (you get full named credit if it's a good one!)

Thanks!

p.s. The events of Chapters 1 to 8 will be reorganized; very little plot-wise will change, just the order they come in.

Chapter 10 will get a rewrite, and 31 will be extended to (maybe) another chapter; there were a lot of scenes I didn't add because of time constraints, notably fight scenes, dialogue scenes and things that will further improve the story.

So it's definitely worth waiting for. :)


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